Our Story
by CptScarlett
Summary: Sometimes, the Doctor meets someone on his journey that makes him pause. Sometimes, that person becomes someone very important to him. Sometimes, he discovers they always were.
1. Chapter 1: Christine Madison

**Authors Notes:**

This story includes references to and stories of the Doctor's time at the Academy, as well as how things possibly work on Gallifrey and in Time Lord culture - some are based on research, possibly some bits and pieces I've picked up from other fanfic, and some of my own imagination. All that to say, I'm sure I diverge from canon on more than one occasion, but where possible, I've tried to use canon details from various DW sources.

This story references the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the impact they had on one resident of New York City in particular. I hope to do my best to represent the pain and grief one person might have experienced had they lost loved ones on that day.

I only own the original characters I've inserted in this story, however I don't own the Tenth Doctor or any other BBC Doctor Who characters. Wouldn't that be fun though?

* * *

"Hello, I'm the Doctor! Who are you?" the brown-eyed man smiled wide as he introduced himself.

"Christine, Christine Madison. But should we really be exchanging pleasantries when the building is about to blow up?"

"Oh, that. That'll be no problem," he said with a half shrug and bounce of his head.

"Really?" she asked, her eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Sure. See, watch." He took some sort of device that looked a little like a pen flashlight out of the inside pocket of his jacket and pointed it towards the bomb attached to the stairwell. The light on the device came on with a buzzing sound and after a few moments, the bomb seemed to shut down. He grinned. "There, see! I told you! No problem."

She looked at the bomb in disbelief. "How did you do that?"

"Sonic overload of the detonation circuit," he said as if it was as simple. "This," he said as he held up the device he had used and twirled it between his fingers. "Is my sonic screwdriver."

"So it sends out a sonic wave that disrupted the circuitry and caused it to overload. That's brilliant," the Doctor's new friend smiled back at him.

"Well now, you picked up on that quite quickly," the Doctor grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Christine Madison."

"Pleasure to meet you, Doctor. Thanks for that—saving my life I mean. And everyone else in the building."

* * *

"So, you're telling me you travel around in a spaceship that looks like it's an old blue Police Box from England? And that it can travel in time and space?" Christine questioned the strange man she had just met an hour ago as he walked her towards her house.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you," he nodded his head and glanced at her as they walked down the New York City street.

"That's—fantastic!" she said with a huge smile.

"You believe me?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "You haven't even seen my ship. Why would you believe me?"

"You seem believable. And you saved my life, lots of lives, today." She shrugged. "I figured you deserved at least one gimme."

"A 'gimme'?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Yes, a gimme. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I believe you," she said.

"Blimey, that usually takes a lot more convincing, and some visual proof," he said, still amazed that she was taking him for his word.

"I'd love the visual proof, Doctor, but I have a family to get home to," she smiled as she stopped and looked at the man.

"Oh?" he said as he stopped with her and glanced at the building they were in front of. "This is your home?"

"Yes, and in it are my husband and two children. They're never going to believe me when I tell them about the man who saved me from an alien bomb today." She shook her head, still not sure she believed herself.

"You could—I could take you on a little short trip. Just one. It is a time ship, I can have you back before they even noticed," he said, a hopeful look in his eyes.

She sighed and smiled gently at the man. "Oh, Doctor. I wish I could say yes."

"Why can't you?" he said sadly.

"I've known you an hour, Doctor, and I can already tell that you are one of the most amazing people I'll ever meet. If I stepped onto your ship and took a trip around time and space, I don't know if I'd ever want to leave. I have a husband I love and two children I adore that I have to take care of. I have books to write, stories to tell—"

The Doctor smiled, "You're an author!"

She nodded. "I tell myself that every day. One day I hope the rest of the world believes me."

"I could just go have a look at the future and let you know." He motioned over his shoulder back the way they came, where his ship was.

"Oh no you don't. I've seen too many movies where learning about your own future does horrible things. No, I'd like that to remain a mystery. I prefer to live every day the best I can, not constantly in worry of if I'm making the right decisions for the future."

"Don't you ever dream of the future?" he asked the mysterious, marvelous woman before him.

"I dream of the future all the time. I hope for what the future holds, but if I knew for sure what it held, I'd constantly be living in fear that I was going to mess it up. I'll keep dreaming." She glanced up at the windows of her home. "I should get going, dinner's probably ready and waiting.

"You're a remarkable woman, Christine Madison. I hope I get to meet your family one day."

"Does that mean you'll be back?" she asked.

"Would you want me to?" he asked, hopefully.

"I would. You could—would you like to come in for dinner?" she motioned up the stairs.

He looked up anxiously, considering. "No, I should get going. Worlds to save, all that nonsense."

She smirked. "Alright, Doctor." She turned and started to walk away, then turned back to find him watching. "You'll be in those dreams, Doctor Dreams of the future. I hope I do meet you again. Goodbye."

"Not goodbye, Christine. Till next time. See you later." The Doctor turned and walked away. This time it was Christine's turn to watch him walk away. She continued to watch until the door behind her opened and distracted her.

"What are you doing, mom? Dinner's ready, are you coming in?"


	2. Chapter 2: Fixed Point Unfixable

When the Doctor had first made it back to the TARDIS, he had been shaken out of his thoughts of the woman he had just met by an alarm sounding on the ship sending him into a different time and place.

It was days later for the Doctor, and several adventures, before it occurred to him that he could check in on Christine Madison's future without her ever knowing anything about it. When he did, it knocked the breath out of him. Without thought he began flipping switches on the console and pulled the lever sending the ship hurdling back towards New York City, as close to September 11, 2001 as the ship would allow him. That day was a major fixed point in the history of Earth. His ship tended to keep him as far away from those points as possible. He spent a good amount of time negotiating with the ship that he didn't want to change what had happened, he just wanted to get to this woman who had made such a huge impact on him as soon as possible after the event.

* * *

-October 1, 2002-

The tall skinny man pushed the doorbell and then fidgeted with the lapels on his trench coat as he waited and hoped for an answer. A bit quicker than he expected an unfamiliar woman answered the door.

"Oh, hi. I'm looking for Christine? Christine Madison? Does she no longer live here?" the Doctor asked, glancing behind the woman into the lower level of the brownstone home.

"Yes, she's here. Who are you?" the woman asked suspiciously.

"I'm—I'm the Doctor," he said, suddenly doubting if he should have come.

"The Doctor? Just 'the Doctor'? Doctor who? Doctor of what?" the woman asked sternly.

"Just the Doctor. She may remember me. We met a couple years ago at the New York Times office," the Doctor explained, wondering who this woman was.

"Mrs. Madison!" the woman yelled into the house as she shut the door on him. He listened as the woman on the other side of the door walked away yelling, "There's a man here who says he's 'the Doctor'! Says you know him."

He heard footsteps quickly approaching the door again and stood up straight just in time for the door to swing open. The woman he was greeted by was the one he remembered, but something was different. The spark seemed to be gone from her eyes. He recognized that look. He often saw it in the mirror after failing a mission, losing someone dear to him, after not saving someone. "Christine," he said as a greeting.

"Doctor," she said quietly and without emotion. "Come in."

The Doctor followed her into the home and as they arrived at the kitchen area he saw the woman who had answered the door.

"Thank you, Janice. You can head home early today. I'll finish up drying the dishes, thank you."

Janice eyed the man suspiciously. "Are you sure, Mrs. Madison? I can stay longer if you need me to."

Christine smiled at the other woman. "No Janice, it's okay. I do know the Doctor—he saved my life—once."

A few minutes later Janice had left by the front door. Christine had remained silent with the Doctor, only speaking to say goodbye to the other woman. She stood in the kitchen, her back to him, drying dishes. He could imagine what thoughts were going through her head, and he wasn't sure if he was grateful she was being silent or not. After almost five minutes of silence, he finally spoke up.

"Christine, I—" he started.

"No. You don't get to speak first," she said sternly. His mouth shut tight. A few seconds later, she spoke again, "I can tell—by the way you looked standing there on my doorstep. You know. You know what happened. Yes?" She still wasn't turning towards him, she was frozen in front of the sink, staring out the window into the back garden.

"Yes," he confirmed.

She turned around, tears in her eyes. "Where the _hell_ were you?" He opened his mouth to speak, but words couldn't seem to find their way out. She continued as she quickly approached the countertop he stood on the other side of. "I still assume what you told me is true. And if it is, and you have a ship that can travel in time and space. And you can do things like I saw you do that day, and I assume so much more—how could you let it happen? How could you let those planes fly into those buildings and kill all those people?"

"Christine, I—" he started to speak but she had started vigorously shaking her head and backing up till her body hit the sink countertop.

"How could you let them kill my babies? My husband?" she yelped out as she slid to the floor weeping.

He was around the counter and by her side quicker than a blink, on his knees, arms around her. "Christine, I—I couldn't do anything. I _can't_ do anything. If I could—I would—but—It's a fixed point in time. It's like a domino that tips and sets into action too many other dominoes. If I changed something, anything, the smallest thing, about that day—the consequences would be irreparable damage to the timelines. I literally _can't_ do anything about what has happened. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he said as he gently rocked her back and forth in his arms.

An hour later, his back was against the cabinets as well, and his arm was around her while her face was buried in his shoulder. His own eyes were red with tears. They had said no more words.

Eventually, she raised her arm to wipe her sleeve across her eyes and took a deep breath. "Why did you come back now?"

"It's only been a few days for me since I saw you last," he began to explain. "I decided to sneak a peek and look you up. See what the future held for Christine Madison. And I saw it." He paused a moment, the images he had seen on the screen seared into his soul. "This was the closest my ship would let me get to when it happened. Any closer and she was worried I'd start meddling in things that would cause-"

"Damage to the timelines—yeah, I get it." She sighed.

"I am so sorry, Christine," he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

She nodded her head and sat quiet a moment before asking another question, "Do you eat food like humans?"

"What? Yes, of course I eat—wait, what do you mean 'like humans'?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

She sat up and looked at him for the first time since she had glared angrily at him earlier. "You're an alien, right? I heard two heartbeats. I just wasn't sure if you eat food like we do on Earth or what."

The Doctor shook his head with a small smile. "Christine, these conversations never seem to happen with you like they do with anyone else I've ever met."

"Is that a good thing?" she asked with a small smile of her own.

He nodded his head and stood up, holding out his hand to help her up. "Yes, it's good, just—different that I'm used to. And yes, I'm an alien—not from Earth. Yes, two hearts."

"How do you feel about Chinese?" she asked.

"The people? The ones I've met seem nice enough," he said with a confused look on his face.

She glared at him dryly. "Really? No you idiot, I mean the food—Chinese food. I was thinking we could get take out."

He smiled. "So, have you forgiven me, then?"

She sighed, "Sounds like I have nothing to forgive you for, Doctor."

"You do believe me, then?" he asked hopefully.

She shrugged. "Why should I stop believing you now? So—Chinese?"

He nodded, "Sounds lovely."

* * *

While they waited for the takeout to arrive, Christine showed him around her home. When they made it to her office, he stopped at her desk.

"What's this?" he grinned as he pointed to a photograph.

"Oh-that." She pulled the picture off the cork board above her desk. "It's not yours—is it?"

He took the picture of the Police Box out of her hand and looked at it with a smile. "No, not mine. Just a typical old Police Box, I'm afraid."

"I thought so. Didn't seem—magical—enough to be a time and space ship," she said as she looked at the photo. "Before the attack, I couldn't seem to get you off my mind. So I went online and found a picture of a police box and hung it on the wall to remind me. Afterwards—I'd be lying if I didn't tell you it was a source of frustration and anger for me to think of you—sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You have every right to be angry, and I can understand why you'd point it at me." He looked down at the photo and smiled again, then handed it back to her. "Here, keep that—until you let me take you and show you the real thing. She's called the TARDIS by the way. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

Christine couldn't help but giggle a bit and shook her head. "'She?' Well I suppose lots of people on Earth name their vehicles, so calling your space ship a 'she' isn't very different."

"No, really." The Doctor smiled. "She is a 'she.' More than just a space ship or a time ship, she's sentient."

Christine's eyes grew wide. "Really? Does she talk to you?"

"In a manner of speaking yes. My ship and I have a telepathic bond that allows her to communicate with me," he explained.

"Just you, or does she ever communicate with other people?" she inquired.

The Doctor smiled wide again. Christine Madison was so intriguing. "You're very curious. Why don't we sit down and I'll answer all your questions," as he made his suggestion he looked around to find a sofa on the opposite wall from her desk. He held out his hand towards it and she nodded, moving over to sit down.

"So, does the TARDIS ever talk to anyone else?" she asked again as she sat down sideways on the sofa so that she could face him.

He nodded as he sat down himself, mirroring her so that he could face her as well. "Yes, she has in the past. It depends on a few things."

"Like what?" she questioned him to share further details.

"Well, first of all, it would depend on their telepathic strength. Even though humans don't use telepathic abilities by nature, some of them would have the ability to, if properly prepared by someone with stronger telepathic ability and training."

"Like you, I presume? So you have telepathic abilities, as well?" she asked, leaning her head onto her hand, her elbow on the back of the sofa.

He nodded. "Yes, like me." He considered her question further, then frowned as he continued, "But I don't go around reading people's minds without their consent, if that's what you're thinking."

"So, what else? You said her communicating with others depending on a couple things."

The Doctor continued to marvel at Christine's thoroughness in her questioning. He smiled as he thought about his TARDIS. "Simple. She has to like you."

"Ah, I see." She nodded her head thoughtfully. "Well, that makes perfect sense."

"Does it now?" The Doctor grinned and raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head to one side. "Telepathic ships that travel through time and space makes perfect sense to you?"

Christine shrugged and smirked at the man in front of her. "Just as much as two-hearted telepathic aliens who can diffuse bombs with sonic screwdrivers and fly around in space and time on said telepathic ships."

"Touché." The Doctor gave her a nod and slight bow of respect.

"The food should be here soon. But I've been rude and not offered you anything to drink," she noted as she stood and started to walk back towards the doorway into the kitchen. "For an alien you speak with a pretty distinct British accent. Should I assume you drink hot tea then?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," the Doctor called out to her in the other room. He turned to sit properly on the sofa and leaned his head back to rest on the cushion as he thought about Christine Madison and their current conversation. After a few minutes he spoke again. "Really though, Christine. Do you really believe all this? Or are you in there calling the police to come and lock me up because you think I'm loony? Are you just playing along to be nice?"

"You think I'd be boiling up water for tea if I thought you were a crazy man pretending to be a time traveling alien?" she said with a chuckle.

"Well, I don't know. In reality, we have only known each other for a few hours. Perhaps you're a bit bonkers and are trying to trap me," he said playfully. "Maybe I should be trying to plan out an escape route."

"Straight through the front door will be just fine, if you're concerned," she said as she poured hot water over tea bags in two mugs. "Come join me at the table. As you said, I haven't known you long. For all I know you're a slob—I don't want you spilling tea on my sofa."

The Doctor hopped off the couch with a grin and headed into the other room to join her at the table. "I assure you, my cleanliness shouldn't be a concern."

Christine sat down across from him and slid one mug across the table to him. "So, what _is_ with the accent?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Just because my voice sounds the same as people in England doesn't mean it's a British accent—" he tried to argue his point, but she looked skeptical and just eyed him a moment before he relented. "Alright, so I _may_ have picked up a bit of an accent from many years I've spent traveling in and around the United Kingdom."

"How many years could that be?" She looked him over. "You don't appear much older than me."

At that moment the doorbell rang. "Ah, saved by the bell!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The question of my age should perhaps be saved for after dinner. It could be a doozy."

* * *

They talked through dinner, except this time it was the Doctor's turn to ask questions. He steered away from recent history, instead asking her about her childhood, where she had grown up, where she had studied, etc. After dinner was finished, the Doctor helped Christine clean up. As they were finishing, he finally asked the question he had been itching to for quite some time. "So—why don't you come with me and finally see the TARDIS? You've shown me your home, let me show you mine."

Christine stood quietly a moment, dishcloth in hand, staring out the kitchen window. "No, Doctor, I'm sorry."

"Oh, alright. Well—perhaps another time. I'll just—I'll be going then—don't want to overstay my welcome." He was fumbling around, and his face was downcast. Christine could tell he wasn't used to being told no. But she could also tell he wasn't angry, he was disappointed.

"But, why don't you come back and visit this Saturday?" she asked, hoping to make him realize it wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with him.

"This Saturday?" he asked back, and she could see the wheels spinning in his head.

"Yes, this Saturday—" she paused a moment and looked at him, realization dawning on her. "Oohhh, time does get confusing for you, doesn't it? Here—" She went to the fridge and pulled a magnetic pen off, scribbling a note onto a note pad also attached to the door. "Saturday, October 6, 2012—say, 5pm?" she pulled the sticky note off and looked back up at him as she held it out for him to take. "Can your TARDIS get you here then? That is—if you would like to come back and visit."

He smiled wide, "I'd love to."

She smiled back and nodded and walked him to the front door. She stepped out the door onto the top of the stairway leading down to the sidewalk. "Alright then, see you Saturday. Come hungry, this time I'll be ready for guests. I'll make you a homecooked meal."

"Saturday," he said with a smile, holding up the sticky note.

She nodded and waved bye, walking back into the house and closing the door as he made it to the sidewalk. A thought occurred to her and she opened the door back up quickly. "Oh, Doctor!"

He turned around, a look of anticipation on his face. "Yes?"

"No cheating," she said with a stern but smiling face.

"What?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"No skipping forward in time. I expect you to spend the same amount of hours waiting for Saturday as I do. Deal?"

She was a smart one, the Doctor thought to himself. She seemed to see into his mind and know what he was considering. He looked at her a moment before relenting with a smile. "Alright, deal."


	3. Chapter 3: Unique

Christine was elbow deep in pizza dough when the doorbell rang. She looked at the clock. 4:45pm. He was early. She shook and wiped the flour off her hands, wiping them off further on her apron as she approached the door. When she opened it, he was standing on the other side with a bouquet of white daisies in hand.

"Hello!" he said with a wide smile and held the flowers out towards her.

"You made it! And a bit early too!" she said with a smile as she moved aside to let him in.

"Yes, sorry. I have a tendency to be late to places, so I may have overcompensated. I actually arrived in the area about an hour ago and took a walk and found a lovely gentleman selling these just down the street." He glanced around and took off his trench coat as he entered, placing it on the coatrack by the door. "What's for dinner?"

"Pizza. I'm making the dough now. Come on in and have a seat at the bar. We'll chat while I work," she said as she pulled a vase out of the closet and brought it to the sink to fill with water for the flowers. "How did you know daisies are my favorite?"

"I took a guess," he explained as he watched her wash and dry her hands after placing the face onto the kitchen bar. "I saw the painting in your office when I was here on—" he paused to think a moment. "—Monday."

She grinned as she placed more flour on her hands and finished kneading the dough, beginning the process of spreading it. "Don't do days of the week?"

"Well, the calendar is very different on every planet, so the days of the week used on Earth aren't used anywhere else. I have spent a significant amount of time on Earth, but when you hop about in time and space like I do, it's hard to keep track." He watched her bounce and spin the dough on her fingers. "You're very good at that."

"Lots and lots of practice." She stopped talking to focus on the task at hand, as it required lots of concentration not to put a hole in the dough. When she had finished and laid it out on the pizza stone, she placed it in the oven to precook for a few minutes. "That'll be back out in five minutes, then comes the fun part."

"More fun than watching you spin the dough in the air?" he said with a genuine smile at her.

She felt her cheeks flush a bit. "Yes, because you're going to help with the next bit. That way you can pick your own toppings." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a tray with a bowl of fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a few small bowls of various toppings. "In all those 900 years of your life, surely you've made pizza before?" she asked as she set the tray onto the countertop.

He grinned and shook his head. "Honestly—no, I've never made pizza."

"Really? Well, you've been missing out!" She opened the fridge again and poked her head in to look at beverage options. "Do aliens drink alcohol, Doctor?"

"Some do, some don't," he said with an air about him that made her look up out of the fridge at him.

"Alright, fair enough. I'll stop generalizing. Do _you_ drink alcohol, Doctor?"

"Not frequently, but I'm not against it. It doesn't affect me like it does some. It would take something pretty strong to make me in the slightest bit tipsy. Fast metabolism," he explained.

"Explains the body," she said from where her head was back in the fridge. It was his turn to blush. "So, beer then?" she said as she pulled two glass bottles from the fridge. He nodded so she proceeded to bring them to the bar. "There's something about pizza and beer that go well together. But we can start a bit early, I have a few more of these."

She pulled a bottle opener out of a drawer and popped the lids on both the bottles, then handed him his and raised hers in the air towards him. "Here's to new experiences, shared with good company," she smiled.

"Here here! New experiences, and good company." He smiled and tapped his bottle against hers.

They both took a sip from their drinks then she spoke again, "I was thinking we could eat dinner up on the rooftop."

"On the roof?" he questioned her.

His confused expression made her laugh. "I've got a balcony on the rooftop, you dunce. I don't expect you to sit _on_ the roof."

An hour later, after lots of laughs during the toppings phase of pizza creation, the Doctor sat in a chair next to Christine on the rooftop balcony, their pizza between them on a small side table.

"So—Doctor, I take it that in the past these _companions_ of yours. They didn't ask a lot of questions before hopping on the TARDIS and traveling around with you—did they?

"No, when put into perspective, they did not," he shook his head as he answered, while looking out over the rooftops of the buildings across the street to see the tall city buildings rising up behind them.

"So," she said, looking down at her beer bottle with a small frown on her face. "I suppose I'm quite the disappointment then, eh? All these questions, and I haven't even laid eyes on your ship yet."

The Doctor turned his gaze to examine her, surprised by her statement. "You think you disappoint me? I may be disappointed that you've said no—twice—but _you_ are not a disappointment. _You_ are—refreshing."

"How's that?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity at his compliment.

"I'd never thought about it before now. I've had lots of companions in all my years, and they all were all very special and unique people. But no one ever really—Well, they never really thought to ask about me _before_ it became necessary too. They just let themselves find things out when it became glaringly obvious they needed to. A heart would stop beating and, oh yes, by the way, I've got two. You—," he began, looking her straight in the eyes. "You act as if you couldn't care less that I travel in space and time. The traveling bit was what got their attention, the rest came later. You're more interested in—_me._ All the other bits of me."

She considered his admission carefully, holding his gaze. "I've always tried to look beyond what a person _does_ to see who they _are._"

"You're amazing," he said without looking away. She blushed and finally broke eye contact to look down.


	4. Chapter 4: Christmas

Over the course of the next two months, every time the Doctor came to visit, Christine would give him a sticky note with another date and time on it. Sometimes it was a few times a week, sometimes it was a few weeks later. Every time she'd have something new or different for them to do. It wasn't saving the universe, running from aliens, or staring out the TARDIS door at another galaxy—but the Doctor had to admit he was enjoying every moment he got to spend with this remarkable woman. There was something about her cautiousness and unwillingness to just up and run away with him that intrigued him. It drew him to her. She was learning everything she could about him, and he was doing the same. They took turns asking each other questions. She had taken the information about regeneration just as well as she had every other bit of information.

* * *

Every time they met, when it was time for him to leave, she reminded him, "No cheating." She wanted them to experience their time together and their time apart at the same speed.

On the two-month anniversary of him showing back up on her doorstep, she had found out during their conversation that he had a mobile phone on the TARDIS he had been given by a former companion, Martha Jones. That night, when she wrote down a date, she included her cell phone number. "You can text me. Or call. If something interesting happens, or you ever just want to talk, or something comes up and you can't make it."

It was always him that called and texted her first. She always said she didn't want to interrupt him in the middle of saving the universe or battling alien robots.

Almost three months into their friendship, when it was time for the Doctor to leave for the night, Christine took extra time writing the date down, folded the piece of paper, and with a smile, placed it in the pocket of his jacket. Taking it as a sign, he waited till he got back to the TARDIS to open the paper.

_Christmas Morning, December 25, 2002. 7am. Why don't you park the TARDIS in the back garden this time?_

The Doctors mouth spread into a huge grin as he sat back in the jump seat, propping his feet up on the console. The TARDIS hummed at him and he nodded. "Soon, maybe? I don't know, Old Girl. Slow and steady wins the race, I think. But you'll be closer than ever before. She'll finally get a look at you this time."

* * *

Christine had never heard the Doctor's ship before, but as soon as she heard the sound, she knew that it must be him. She sat in the living room, her hands wrapped around her mug of tea. A second mug sat on the coffee table, as well as a tray of donuts and pastries.

More than anything she wanted to jump up and run out to see that big blue police box he had told her so much about. Perhaps catch a peek of the bigger-than-the-outside interior. But she steeled herself.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had everything he needed for the day already by the door of the TARDIS. As he settled her in, checking the circuits, he half expected to hear a knock at her door. But then again, he half expected not to. He peeked out the door a few minutes later to find—no one. Just Christine's back garden. He did get a bit excited to see it had snowed and the ground was covered in a thick blanket of white. He sighed and looked to the back door of the house, picked up the packages by the door and adjusted the red hat on his head before approaching. He shifted the packages enough to tap at the glass of the back door and soon saw shadows in the glass as Christine approached.

She opened the door and immediately her face went from smile to big grin.

"Merry Christmas!" he said with a broad grin and lots of excitement.

She giggled at the sight of the red Santa hat on his head, and then looked at all the packages in his hands. "Did you bring more people with you? There are enough gifts there for an army!"

"Nope, all for you!" he said as he entered the home. A few steps in and he heard Christmas music playing in the background. As they entered the living room, he saw the crackling fire in the fireplace. The room was warm and cozy. When his eyes finally found the Christmas tree, there were as many gifts under it as were piled in his arms. "Oh, and who are those for?"

She grinned back at him. "For a little elf, if he behaves," she giggled and tugged at the ball on the tip of his hat.

"This is lovely! Oh, sweets!" His eyes lit up when he spotted the donuts and plopped down on the sofa to begin examining them closely before picking out one with white glaze and red and green sprinkles. After a few moments of munching away at the donut, he took a sip of his tea and took a long look at her. "So, how are you doing?

"I'm good, how have things been for you this week?" she asked, rather quickly and purposefully avoiding his question, he noted.

"No, no. I mean it. How are you? I know the holidays must be hard," he said gently.

She shrugged. "It's my second year without them here. I can't say it gets easier, it just gets _different_." She looked down a bit shyly. "It's nice—having you here."

He smiled and bravely reached out, placing a hand on hers as it rested on her own knee. "It's nice being here with you. Thank you for inviting me to spend Christmas with you. What about your parents?"'

She shrugged. "They couldn't make it up here after the Thanksgiving trip, and I'm not _quite_ ready to travel. They're very understanding of it all."

He nodded and then glanced at the presents. "So exactly how long do I have to behave before we begin opening presents?"

She chuckled. "Oh, you're just as bad as little kid! Well, finish up your donut, young man, and perhaps we'll begin."

He grinned and popped the remaining piece of donut into his mouth. "All done!" he said through a full mouth.

"Hey, chew and swallow before you speak!"

They took turns handing each other presents. He brought her a few more exotic but safe things from other planets, like perfume, a journal, and a bracelet. She had found him several small yet precious antique items, a fob watch (which he took a quick look over to be sure there were no Galifreyan symbols), a quill, and a first edition Ernest Hemmingway novel. There were also a few more humorous gifts, like pinstripe boxer shorts for the Doctor and a pizza cutter shaped like a bicycle for Christine.

They were both getting a bit anxious as they neared the end of their pile of packages. Once they arrived at the final package they decided to open them at the same time.

She opened a small box to find a key on a chain necklace. He opened a larger box to reveal a camera. They looked at each other in question.

He swallowed hard and decided to explain first. "It's a key—to the TARDIS. _Your_ key. For—whenever you're ready."

She slowly looked back down, holding the key even more carefully in her hand. "Well, then," she said quietly, still staring at the key. Finally, she looked back to the camera in his hands. "Obviously, it's a camera." She paused again, then finally explained. "So you can take pictures of me wherever we go."

He looked up from the camera quickly to her at her last statement. "Wherever _we_ go?" he repeated in question.

She nodded her head, and slowly smiled. "I was thinking—after the new year—I might be ready to travel a bit."

He could hardly believe it. Was this really happening? A smile slowly covered his own face and his eyes started to tear. "Travel? With me?" He paused longer then before finishing with one last question. "In the TARDIS?"

She nodded again. "If that's okay?"

He gasped and a choked sob escaped before he jumped up off the sofa and reached down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up with him, lifting her off the ground in his hug, spinning her in a circle. "Okay? Okay? It's brilliant!" he shouted as he spun her. After a few more spins he set her down, his hands resting on her upper arms as he smiled at her. He glanced down and saw the chain hanging from her hand as she gripped the key. He took it from her and slowly put the chain around her neck, letting the key rest atop her tshirt over her heart. "Oh, Christine. This," he said as he gently squeezed her arms. "This is the best Christmas present you could have ever given me. Really? You're really going to come with me?"

Once again, she nodded. "Yes, really. In one week."

He considered a moment. "New Years Day?"

"New Years Day," she confirmed.

* * *

A few hours later, they walked into the back garden. She was dressed warmly, with gloves, a scarf, and hat in addition to her warm winter jacket over top a long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and boots. He took several steps and turned back when he realized she wasn't following. He found her staring towards the new addition to her garden.

"Wow," she said quietly. "She's beautiful."

The ship thrummed in response and Christine jumped a bit in surprise. The Doctor grinned. "She says you're beautiful too."

Christine turned her gaze to him with a raised eyebrow. "Did she really say that or is that your lame attempt at flirting?"

He gave her a mock shocked expression. "_Yes_ she really said that. And even if she hadn't, it wasn't a _lame_ attempt at anything."

She smirked then, "I suppose your right." Slowly then, she approached the blue box, taking off her glove as she got closer, and holding her hand out, allowing her fingertips to touch the wooden surface. "She's warm."

"I told you, alive," he said in response.

She took slow breaths, took off her other glove and shoved them both in her pockets, then rested both palms against the surface of the box, closing her eyes as she did so. "So much more than a big blue box," she said in a whisper.

He came up close behind her, in awe of her reverence towards his ship. He nodded and placed one hand on the ship as well, "Much, much more." After a few moments of watching as she seemed to just enjoy the presence of the ship beside her, the Doctor spoke again. "Are you ready to see?"

She slowly opened her eyes back up and looked from the bottom of the ship to the top, then turned to him and nodded.

He smiled, "Alright then—go ahead. Use your own key."

She glanced at the lock, then back at him. "Are you sure?"

"I would have never given it to you if I wasn't absolutely sure. And she wouldn't have let me give it to you if she wasn't sure, too," he encouraged, then nodded his head towards the door again. She reached under her scarf and pulled the chain up, then around and off her head. Slowly she inserted the key into the lock and gasped as it glowed and warmed in her hand slightly, then the ship thrummed at her again as she turned the key.

"She says 'Welcome,'" he explained.

"I—I think I may have gotten that one," she said in quiet amazement as the door clicked open.

"Go ahead," he responded quietly.

Slowly she pushed the door open, her mouth and eyes opening wider the further the doors opened as she took in the interior.

* * *

An hour later, Christine stepped back out of the TARDIS and took a deep breath of the crisp cold air as she looked around at the snow covered back garden of her home.

The Doctor followed her back out, fidgeting a bit nervously. Christine had been awfully quiet through the tour he had given her of the TARDIS. So much so that he wondered if she was changing her mind about her decision to travel with him. Finally, as he watched her quietly looking around her garden, he spoke up. "So?"

She turned around towards him as she slowly walked backward away from him. "So?"

"So—what do you think?" He asked, feeling like his hearts might burst if he didn't get some sort of indication from her soon as to her feelings. She was way too good at hiding what she was thinking.

"About what?" she said as she glanced around quickly.

What was she doing? He wondered. Why did it appear as if she was looking for an escape route? "About what?!" he repeated, slightly exasperated. "About the TARDIS!"

"The TARDIS? The TARDIS is amazing. Every bit of what you said she is. Remarkable," she smiled, edging her way around the small outdoor table and chairs that sat in the garden.

"But something is bothering you—what is it? What's bothering you?" he said as he watched her carefully.

"Well—" she said carefully, glancing behind him at the TARDIS. "Why is her light broken on top?" she asked, motioning towards the top of the TARDIS.

"What?!" he said as he turned around quickly. Seconds later he could almost make out the whooshing sound through the air before he was pelted in the back by something that he quickly realized was cold—a snowball. She had hit him with a snowball. He turned back around to face her, a shocked, but amused, expression on his face. "What!?" But she had disappeared. Where had she gone so quickly? His eyes moved quickly as his gaze darted around the vicinity quickly. As he glanced one direction, another snowball came whizzing towards him, from further away from the house, and pelted him in the arm.

He growled playfully and ducked behind the TARDIS. "Christine Madison, you are evil!" he yelled out in the general direction of where she was hidden.

"Well, I guess the great Doctor is going to have to do something about it! Or is all that talk of you fighting against evil just a bunch of chatter to try and impress me?" She glanced up over her hiding place, a bush just past the TARDIS. Just as her head appeared over top the bush, a snowball came whizzing just past her ear, barely missing her. "You'll have to do better than that, Doctor, if you're going to get me!"

She heard fast footfalls, and imagined him running to a different hiding place across the garden. Hmm, where had he gone too. She closed her eyes and imagined the garden and all it's details. She spun on the balls of her feet from her crouched position to face the other direction, another snowball at the ready. She looked through the branches of the bush and could just make out the bottom hem of his brown trench coat. She grinned, "Oh, Doctor, you are at such a disadvantage – I know this garden like the back of my hand—" she started to say, before she was suddenly tackled from the back.

Before she knew it, she was flat on her back, the Doctor having wrestled and pinned her, hands pressing her shoulders into the snow. He had a grin as wide as the Cheshire cat on his face. "You may know you're garden, but you obviously didn't know that I'm a pro at hide and seek."

She had a shocked look on her face that made him even giddier. "But—but you're coat!" She then looked down to see he was in only his suit. "You took your bloody coat off to trick me!"

He grinned. "You threw a snowball _at my back_. All's fair."

They were quiet a moment, both grinning wildly at each other and panting to catch their breath after the excitement of the moment. Till suddenly their position became terribly awkward. They both started to speak, and stopped.

The Doctor was the first to blush, and he quickly moved his hands from her shoulders and pushed himself up off her and to the side. "Sorry—sorry, so sorry—here, let me help you up." He held his hand out to her.

Christine thought for a moment, and before he could react, she had grinned and grabbed his hand, but instead of pulling herself up, she anchored her weight and pulled him, turning as she did so that somehow before he could blink he was flat on his back on the snow and she was over top him, hands pressing down on his shoulders. "Don't apologize, Doctor. Don't ruin the moment." He was trying to focus on her face and what she was saying, but his mind was spinning with the sensations bombarding him caused by her body's position. It only got worse when she leaned over, face coming down next to his, her warm breath hitting his ear and causing his skin to prickle. "When you remember this moment, there's something very important I want you to remember about it," she whispered. His hearts raced as he waited for her to continue. She turned her face ever so slightly towards his, and out the corner of his eye he saw her looking at him. "I want you to remember—" he could see and hear the grin that came across her face as she spoke, "I won."

He started to open his mouth to retort, but she stopped him quick, catching him off guard with a quick kiss to his cheek before she hopped up. She nudged his leg with her foot before turning to walk back to the house. "C'mon Doctor, are you just going to lie around in the snow all day? Let's get inside and warm up. I don't know about you, but I've gotten a bit cold in the snow."

By the time he was up and off the snow, grabbing his coat on the way towards the house, she was already inside. She met him at the door with a warm smile and a towel. As she handed the towel to him, she spoke, "Truce?"

He smiled as he ran the towel first through his hair. "Truce."

"I'm going to run upstairs and change clothes, got a bit wet on my backside when this crazy alien tackled me in the snow," she said with a giggle.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll just hop out to the TARDIS," he started to turn away, but turned back to her with a grin. "I had a crazy Earth woman tackle me. Must me something in the air today."

She nodded her head slowly with a wide smile. "Must be."

Fifteen minutes later she was in the kitchen when the Doctor came back in, wearing an identical brown pinstripe suit, but with a red shirt and green tie. She just shook her head, wondering how many of those suits he really did own.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Well, we've had breakfast, opened presents, had a tour of the TARDIS, had a snowball fight—that's lots off the checklist. Next is hot chocolate by the fireplace if that suits you?" she asked as she handed him a mug of hot cocoa. "I had considered sledding in Central Park, but I think we've had enough playing in the snow for today."

He nodded. "Agreed." He then looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe next Christmas."

Her eyes went just a bit wider and she quickly looked down at her hot chocolate, avoiding his gaze as she got lost in her thoughts a moment. Slowly then, she allowed herself a small smile and looked back up at him nervously. "Yeah, maybe."

His head tilted to the side, watching her, as she watched him, "What is it, Christine? Tell me. We're honest with each other about everything, right? Tell me what you're thinking now. Please."

She gave a small shrug, glancing between her mug and him. "I don't know. Just wondering if you won't grow tired of me before next Christmas."

He shook his head fervently, "I don't think I could ever grow tired of your company."

"How can you be so sure?" she said, a frown growing on her face.

"Christine Madison," he used her full name to be sure he had her attention. "what has gotten into you? You're usually so confident in yourself."

"I guess seeing the TARDIS has me a bit flustered. She's a magnificent ship, Doctor. Stunning. Beautiful. Remarkable. And to think of stepping off that ship and onto distant alien worlds. Of traveling to the future. And the past. It's all just—amazing. And when I looked around that ship—I saw all your years of traveling, all your former selves, former companions, friends—lovers," the last word she spoke quieter than the ones before. "Surely you've had some magnificent people on board that ship. Can I live up to that? I don't know. I'm just a widow and a mother with no children who happened to be in the right building at the right time a few years ago when an alien decided to plant a bomb and get your attention."

"I met you on March 25, 2001. One year, ten months, four days,—" He glanced at the clock on the wall. "—two hours, thirty-three seconds ago in Earth time. Since the moment I introduced myself to you in that hallway, we have spent 123 hours, thirty-two minutes, and 13 seconds together."

"Are you showing off?" she asked quietly, unable to stop watching him now.

"Is it working?" he asked with a small quirk of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"I _am_ just a bit impressed," she whispered.

"Good," he said with a cheeky grin. "That wasn't the point—but good. The point is, I have kept track of every moment I've gotten to spend with you. Because spending time with you is different than anyone else I've met, Christine." He started walking around the room, sometimes in circles, sometimes pacing in lines, as he continued to speak. "You ask the questions no one else asks. You've done things in a totally different order than anyone else I've ever spent time with. You didn't ask for proof, you took me at my word. It's like you see into me and see the truth. You didn't want to see my ship, you wanted to know more about _me_. You cared first about who I am, not what I do. You've forced me to stop hiding from myself and my past. And you—you, Christine—you are so much more than just the sum of the bad things that have happened in your life. You aren't just a widow and a childless mother. You were an amazing wife, an amazing mother. But you _are_ amazing still—an amazing writer, an amazing friend—"

"Okay, okay, Doctor—I get the point. Amazing," she said quietly as she looked down into her tea mug again.

The Doctor came up in front of her and gently tilted her head with a finger, raising her face to look at him. He looked into her eyes, trying to convey some emotion he couldn't quite put into words yet. "Yes. Amazing."

* * *

The rest of their Christmas day had been spent rather lazily—watching Christmas movies, laughing together, chatting about Christmases past, generally just enjoying each other's company.

When the Doctor stepped back onto the TARDIS later, he walked slowly, almost as if he was sleep walking, as he made his way up the ramp and to the console. He wasn't asleep, but he was certainly dreaming. Dreaming of what life would be like to have Christine on the TARDIS. He glanced around the room, remembering her presence here just hours before. His hearts had swelled when she opened the door with her TARDIS key. He glanced at the camera sitting on the console. He didn't tell her he didn't need a camera to take pictures. That with the TARDIS and some more futuristic tech he could take pictures a thousand times better than that camera. No, that camera meant too much to him—it was the signal that Christine had finally decided to travel with him. For that—the camera would always have a special meaning.

He sighed deeply as he sat down on the jump seat. He examined his time with Christine. It was so different than he was used to, in many ways—he came to her, not her traveling and following after him. He inevitably began comparing her to his former companions. She was so different than Rose, especially. More mature, obviously because of both age and experience. She was as intelligent and kind-hearted as Martha, but once again, more mature—she certainly wasn't showing any signs of quickly falling for him the way Martha did. Martha was looking for adventure _and_ a relationship, Christine didn't seem to be looking for either, really. Then he thought about Donna, and squeezed his eyes shut as the pain was still so close to the surface. He missed Donna—and if he considered carefully, Christine probably most reminded him of her. Donna was more mature in many ways, and certainly didn't go bumbling over him just because he had a time ship and was moderately good looking in this regeneration (if he did say so himself). No, Donna was his friend—his best friend—and was determined to keep the Time Lord headed in the right direction. And was Donna ever right—he did need someone. Being alone was no good for him. And now, he wanted more than anything for that someone to be Christine Madison.

If he was honest with himself, which he wasn't really sure he was ready for, he just might be falling for her. But he was also determined not to let that slip. He might flirt, that was part of who he was after all, and he would be kind and considerate to her, as she deserved to be treated like royalty. Now—what to do with himself for a week while he waited for the day she was ready to leave? She had made him make the same promise she had every time for the past three months. No cheating and going forward in time to skip over the days.


	5. Chapter 5: Parking Brake

It was only four days later when the mobile phone in his pocket rang. Very soon after he had begun communicating with Christine via the mobile device he had started carrying it with him instead of leaving it on the console. Now, it was ringing—which it never did. She never called him first, it was always the other way around—it was their arrangement—she insisted he call her when he was available and "not off saving some planet."

"Hello, Christine!" the Doctor said cheerily as he walked along beside the shops in New New New York City. He stopped dead in his tracks when there was a long pause in which he heard sniffling on the other end of the phone. "Christine? What's wrong?"

He had already turned around and was quickly headed back to the TARDIS when she finally answered. "Doctor, I—I can't go with you this week. I—" she stopped speaking again as she broke down into a sob again.

Once again, the Doctor was stopped in his tracks. "Wha-?" He was gutted. His hearts broke. But he took a deep breath. Obviously she was upset about it too and maybe she just needed more time. "Oh. Well, that's okay then—maybe another time."

"No, Doctor—it's not—it's—" she started to explain, but the tears flowing too hard and too fast.

"What is it, Christine?" he quietly questioned as he started moving again. Whatever was going on, she was hurting, and he wasn't going to be hundreds of years in the future when his Christine needed comfort. "What's happened? What's wrong?"

"My—my dad. He's gone. He died," she wept openly, and he heard her sobs through the phone.

It was enough to move him faster. "Oh, Christine, love. I'll be there in just a few minutes." He didn't even realize he had used the affectionate reference, he was too distracted by the heartbreak he felt over her heartbreak. He heard the phone click on the other end and went into a full-out run towards the TARDIS.

* * *

When the TARDIS materialized in the back garden of Christine Madison's 2012 New York City home, he didn't even wait to be let into the back door. He knocked once, then opened the door. Finding it unlocked he assumed that perhaps she had known he would do so. As he entered, he spoke loudly, "Christine? Christine, I'm here!"

There was no response so he began quickly searching through the ground floor of the house, the kitchen, dining area, office—no signs of her except a half drunk cup of coffee. So he made his way to the stairwell and started up it, skipping several steps at a time. Rarely had he ever gone up these stairs, except when she had given him the full tour of the house, and when they had gone up to the rooftop balcony a few times. "Christine? It's the Doctor! I'm coming up stairs. Are you up here?" he said loud enough for her to hear in whatever room she might be in.

He listened carefully and finally heard a quiet voice, "Doctor?"

That was all the confirmation he needed. The bedroom—he took a few quick steps and was at her doorway. He tapped on the door, then slowly opened it. "Christine—I'm here."

As the door opened fully, he saw her sitting up on her bed, tissue box in hand, phone by her side. "Oh, Christine—" he said, sadly as he made his way to her side. He sat on the bed, one leg tucked up under him, close enough to be able to pull her into his embrace.

* * *

Hours later, the Doctor was now leaned against the headboard, his arm around Christine's shoulders, her head laying on his chest. After crying through the explanation of how she had found out about her father, he moved to this position and insisted she let herself cry as long as she needed to. Eventually her breathing slowed and he realized she had fallen asleep there, in his arms.

As she slept, he considered—the future, the present, the past—it wasn't atypical for him to spend time thinking about time, and his place in it. His place in this woman's life still remained a bit shrouded in mystery. He'd be lying if he didn't admit the mystery was a small part of what drove him forward to discover the 'why' of their meeting. Slowly, he detected in small movements and changes in breathing that Christine was waking.

"Feeling a little bit better?" he whispered into her hair.

She nodded and for a brief moment snuggled in closer to him. Then she sighed and he felt her body sag a bit before shifting and moving to stand by the bed. "Sorry—I'm sorry for crying all over you, Doctor," she spoke quietly as she moved to stand in front of her dresser, pulling her hair back into a pony tail and wiping her eyes.

"Why are you sorry? There's no other place I'd rather be than here to help you through this. What else can I do?" he asked as too got up off the bed.

She sighed as she turned back to face him and shrugged. "I don't know. I've got to get to my parents house to be with my mother. It's a three hour drive."

He watched as she pulled a suitcase out from under the bed. He leaned against the door frame and considered a moment. "I could—come with you? Or—I could, you know, take you there."

She stopped as she was moving her small jewelry box from the dresser top to her bag, staring down at it a moment before looking up at him. "What—what do you mean?"

"In the TARDIS," he said as he pushed off the door frame and took a step closer. "I could take you there, it would take minutes instead of hours."

She considered a moment, eyes darting back and forth as she stared into blank space. "I suppose-that would be—nice."

He smiled wide and took another step closer. "Please—let me help you, Christine."

She glanced up at him in between movements to and from the dresser as she packed clothes. "Would you—stay? Or leave and come back?"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked. So far in their relationship, it had been a lot of coming and going—all at Christine's guidance. The Doctor had decided from the time he walked into her house the first time, a year after she had lost her husband and children on that tragic day—that he would not push her into anything.

"I want you to tell me what you want, Doctor," she said, looking him in the eye.

He stared back for a moment, before finally deciding on an answer. "I want to stay. I want to help you through this. I don't need any space, I can come back to the TARDIS and sleep at night. But I want to stay close by in case you need me—want me—to be there for you."

A small smile quirked at the corner of her lips and she gave a small nod. "Very well then. You can take me to my mothers." She stopped and thought a moment, her head tilting to the side in the way the Doctor had noticed she did when calculating some idea. "Do you ever park the TARDIS inside a building? I've only ever seen it parked in the back garden—"

He smiled. "Yes, often. Inside spaceships, houses, warehouses, any manner of buildings."

"Good," she said with a nod, as if she had decided then. "My old room at my parents house is big enough, and there should be a corner big enough for her to fit in. You want to be close by—that'll be just about as close as you're going to get—" she stopped a second, and if he wasn't mistaken, her cheeks seemed to blush. "—for now."

His hearts started to beat a bit faster at her words, but he quickly set it aside, determined not to read into anything she said. After all, she was just being playful—wasn't she?

"Not exactly the first trip I'm sure you imagined for me, Doctor. I'm sorry—" Christine started to apologize again, but the Doctor interrupted her, taking the final step to be by her side, blocking her from the suitcase.

"Christine, _stop_ apologizing for something out of your control." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your father has died, and you need to grieve, and you need to be with your mother. Never in a million years – and I know what a million years is like—would I fault you for something that is a part of life." He pulled her in for another hug and felt her relax into his arms.

"Thank you, Doctor. You've—you've saved me once again from drowning in my sorrow." Her voice was muffled, but he heard her and smiled.

"Thank you—for letting me be a part of your life, Christine. And the feeling is mutual. You've saved me in so many ways." He stared above her head out the window, thinking of the path he was headed down before he met her.

She stepped back and looked up at him in concern, as if she sensed his thoughts. "What do you mean, Doctor?"

He shook his head. "Not a conversation for now—but I will explain another time. Now, what else do we need to do before we leave?"

"I'll finish up packing. Then I just need to finish with the dishes in the sink downstairs and I'll be ready to leave," she explained as she started back to packing.

"I'll take care of the washing up, you finish up here," the Doctor said, turning to leave her room and head back downstairs.

"Really?" she said in surprise as she watched him walking away.

"What?" he said, turning back to her.

"You're going to do the dishes?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Just because the word 'Lord' is in the name of my people, doesn't mean I'm incapable of washing dishes. Besides, in nine hundred years, what do you think happened with the dirty dishes?" He grinned at her before continuing out the door.

* * *

"Alright, I've got the coordinates in for the address you provided, and I've set us to land four hours from now, that way it doesn't seem surprising for you to show up so quickly," the Doctor explained as he came back around the console to where Christine sat in the jump chair watching.

"Don't forget to take off the parking brake," she said nonchalantly.

The Doctor's head popped up and he looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What?" he popped out quickly.

She shrugged. "I said don't forget to take off the parking brake."

"How did you know the TARDIS has a parking brake?" he questioned.

Another shrug came from her. "It does, right? I mean, most vehicles have parking brakes—"

"Yes—" he said slowly, not quite happy with that answer, but he decided to brush it off for now.


	6. Chapter 6: Jewelry Box

"Mrs. Bellows, it is a pleasure to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances," the Doctor shook the older woman's hand and slightly bowed politely.

The woman eyed him cautiously but smiled kindly. "Mr. Smith, thank you for making the trip with my daughter. It's a comfort to know she didn't have to make the drive by herself," the gray-haired woman said in response. She then glanced around between the two of them, out the door. "Where's the car?"

"Oh, we parked up the street, mom. I figured you'd have a lot of visitors and didn't want to take up all the space in front of the house," Christine quickly explained. The Doctor smiled politely, but inside he was impressed by Christine's quick thinking. Although, they were technically parked up the street anyway, in an alley.

* * *

Later, the Doctor sat with Christine's mother on the front porch of the house while Christine made coffee inside. Once again, the older woman was eying the Doctor cautiously.

After a few minutes of quiet, she finally spoke up. "Has Christine told you that she's adopted, Mr. Smith?" the woman asked from her rocking chair.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, ma'am. And please, call me John."

Mrs. Bellows nodded, looking at him a bit more directly, "Very well, though I'm curious about your name. John Smith. A very—generic—name that one is. Surprising that your parents would give you such a plain first name with Smith as your last name."

The Doctor watched as the woman eyed him carefully. He was feeling a bit nervous anyway, and her looks weren't helping. Though Christine's mother was certainly more kind and polite on first encounter than Donna's ever was.

"Yes, well—"

"It's okay—John. You don't have to explain your name to me. Just an observation," the woman said with a smile. He relaxed a bit. "If my daughter thinks you're worthy of spending time with, then I suppose I'll have to take you at your word as well. She doesn't trust easily."

The Doctor nodded slowly. He found that bit of information interesting, though not totally surprising, even if Christine had seemed to trust him rather quickly. Another piece of the mystery.

"Have you ever read any of her work?" she asked.

"Just a few pieces from the New York Times that she showed me," the Doctor answered.

"You should look at her books, they're quite interesting reads. How she gets the ideas she has—well, anyway. She's been working on a new one for quite some time now—but when the planes hit the towers—and she lost Greg and the boys—she stopped working on it. Does she talk to you about them?"

"Yes, we talk often about Titus and Jane, and Greg," the Doctor answered.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Christine and her mother left to go to the funeral home to make arrangements for the service for her father. While she was gone, the Doctor took advantage of the opportunity to go get the TARDIS and park it, as they had arranged, in her bedroom. It did have just enough room to park it, and with the perception filter, there should be no chance of it being seen by her mother, though Christine insisted she rarely ever went into the room.

Once he had gotten the TARDIS settled in, he found his way back to the living room of the house where he had seen a bookshelf full of books. Upon closer inspection, as he had hoped, he found two books by Christine Madison. He took the one marked the first in the series and found a comfortable chair to sit in to begin reading.

* * *

"So, how are we going to work out the sleeping arrangements?" the Doctor whispered to Christine after her mother had left the living room that evening to go clean up in the kitchen.

Christine leaned over and whispered back, "My dad's office is right next to my room. There's a couch in it—I told her you were going to sleep there."

"I actually can sleep on the couch, if that makes it easier," the Doctor considered.

Christine shook her head. "I know the TARDIS will be more comfortable for you, Doctor. And she never goes up stairs anyway—not since her back started giving her trouble."

* * *

Later on before heading to her own room, Mrs. Bellows brought a blanket and pillow to the Doctor where he and Christine sat watching TV in the living room. He smiled and thanked her graciously, then turned with a raised eyebrow to Christine after her mother had started to walk away.

An hour later they turned off the TV and headed up stairs. As they walked up the stairs the Doctor whispered. "Why do I feel as if we're doing something terribly naughty?"

Christine chuckled, "You obviously never snuck out of your parents house when you were a teenager."

"When I was a teenager I was being groomed as a Time Lord. I didn't live with my parents, I lived at the Academy," the Doctor explained.

"Never snuck out of your dorm room?" Christine asked.

"Nope." He popped the 'p' as he answered with an innocent smile.

"Goody two-shoes," she said with a smirk.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, he headed towards the office.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I am setting up my pretend bed. I'm not taking any chances. This way it will at least look like I slept there if your mother has a miraculous back recovery and decided to check on things," the Doctor explained. Christine followed him into the office and watched as he laid out the blanket and pillow. "So," the Doctor continued as he worked. "Did _you_ ever sneak out of the house?"

"I lived in an orphanage till I was almost 16. The Bellows took me in and cared for me, even after I was of age."

* * *

"John," Mrs. Bellows began to speak to the Doctor. "I have a very strange request of you."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"John, I suspect there is something very different about you—" as she continued, the Doctor started to interrupt but she held up her hand. "No, please let me continue. Something is different about you, and I have my suspicions. I won't share what those are. I can't. But—they'll either be proved or disproved when you do this favor. When you get back to New York City with my daughter. Offer to help her unpack. Ask her about her jewelry box. There's something in there I think might be of particular interest to you—if what I suspect is correct."

The Doctor gave a small scowl, his eyebrows furrowed. "Her jewelry box?"

"Just—just do it, John. For me."


	7. Chapter 7: Heirloom

The Doctor pulled the lever, dematerializing them, then turned to Christine, who sat in the jump seat seeming to stare straight through the console. "So—home?"

"Hmm?" she asked, having been pulled out of her thoughts.

"Do you want me to take you home?" the Doctor asked again, a bit more formally.

Christine took a deep breath, before standing and slowly walking around the console, hand lightly touching it as she circled and spoke, "Where is home? Where we just came from, the place I grew up in? Or the place we were before that? Where I spent the last twenty years of my life." She made her way back around to where the Doctor stood, him facing her. "Or—or is it here, Doctor?" she asked quietly, only a few feet separating them. "This magnificent ship of yours. This—portal to the future, and the past, and anywhere I can dream. Where is my home now? This is why I was so hesitant—so nervous—why I kept saying no when you asked if I was ready to take a trip with you. One zip through space, and I'm afraid I feel like I've just been given the first dose of an addictive drug. I'm not quite sure I can go back, Doctor."

After her admission, the ship fell silent, only the humming sound that was always present, and the almost imperceptible sound of both their breaths. The Doctor took a small step forward, leaving only inches between them. "I'd never ask you to leave here, if you didn't want to, Christine. You can stay as long as you like. I'd love for you to stay. Come with me—let's travel together in time and space."

As she looked up into his eyes, slowly a smile spread on her face. She nodded.

The Doctor smiled back. "Really?" he asked, almost unbelieving.

"Let's do it." She grinned.

"Well," he said, his hearts about to burst with excitement. "First stop, let's take your suitcase to your room!" He grabbed the bag in one hand, and her hand in the other. He didn't even realize it, but she certainly did—it was the first time he had held her hand. He pulled her along down the corridor to a room just past his. "Here we are, looks like the Old Girl has already prepared your room for you.

* * *

The Doctor sat back in an arm chair, a huge smile on his face, as he watched Christine unpacking her belongings into the dresser in her new room on the TARDIS.

"As I said, the TARDIS will be able to replicate more clothing suited to your style once your clothes are unpacked," the Doctor explained.

"Where will I get them?" Christine asked, slightly overwhelmed by the ship's effort in making her feel at home with the decorating of her room.

"Oh, they'll just show up in your wardrobe and dresser. And you place your dirty clothes in the bin there—and new clean clothes show up! Technically they are dematerialized and rematerialized clean in their places," the Doctor was enjoying explaining these little details to Christine. These sorts of things they hadn't gotten around to talking about in all their conversations. He was about to explain something else when he saw her take her jewelry box out of her suitcase and set it on top of the dressing table. He thought back to what her mother had said. "So, I don't see you wearing jewelry often, what do you keep in that little box?" He stood up and walked over beside her.

"Oh, just a few things that are precious to me. My wedding ring, an old family heirloom, a necklace my children gave me a few Christmases ago. That sort of thing."

The Doctor considered momentarily, then asked, "What's the family heirloom?"

"Well, I call it that. It's the only thing I have from my childhood. It's strange, I don't know if it was from my mother's side or father's side, I just always remember having it. The Bellows don't know any of the story either."

"May I see it?" the Doctor asked, his curiosity starting to get the better of him. Surely this item was what Mrs. Bellows was speaking of. But how did her mother know he'd be interested? And what was it?

"Um, sure, I guess." She shrugged and opened the box on it's hinges, slowly pulling out a small silver object.

A fob watch. It was a fob watch. The Doctor felt like his hearts were seizing up as he saw the object. As Christine turned to hand it to him, she noticed that his face had paled as he stared at her hands.

"What? What is it, Doctor? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked, concern showing all over her face.

The Doctor was stirred out of his shock by her questions, and pulled his eyes away from the object in her hands to her face. "May I—may I look a bit closer?"

"Okay—but Doctor, you're worrying me. What's the big deal about a silly pocket watch?" she asked again as she held out her hand.

The Doctor slowly took it, "Oh—I'm sure—I'm sure it's nothing, just—" He took the watch and flipped it over. And once again, his hearts almost seized. Circular etching covered the back of the watch. Gallifreyan circular script. He gasped, and looked back up at Christine. Was this the answer? Could this be the answer to the mystery surrounding this woman? "Christine, have you ever opened the watch?" He could barely whisper.

"Tried to once, but it was stuck at the time. Hadn't thought about it again till recently, but I kept getting distracted from looking at it again. I'm sure it's broken after all this time."

"Why don't—why don't you take a look?"

"Doctor, what is this about? Is there something I should know?"

The Doctor's eyes went wide, and he looked at her with an open, soulful expression. "Yes, Christine, there is. But I can't explain-you'll have to open the watch to find out."

"Well that's just silly! It's just a—" she grabbed it back from him and quickly popped it open. "—watch." The word was gasped out as light swirled around her and the watch. The Doctor took a step back, eyes wide as he watched the woman who had come to mean so much to him transform before his eyes.

Slowly the swirling light began to fade. Christine stood stock still, hands spread out to her sides, eyes closed, for a moment before her hands dropped to her sides, and she lifted her head, opening her eyes at the same time. She looked straight at the Doctor. "I'm a—Time Lord." And with that revelation, she passed out, collapsing to the floor.


	8. Chapter 8: Everything and Nothing Change

The next day, the Doctor sat by the bedside in the medbay, watching over his patient. In the moments before she passed out, as she transformed, she wasn't the only one who gained knowledge. As she transformed back into a Time Lord, a part of his brain was reawakened that had been shut off for a very long time. The part that connected him with other Time Lords in the universe. The only other time it had reawakened was when the Master had come back.

As he stared down at the woman, he gently tucked a stray hair back behind her ear. The Archivist. She was the Archivist of the Ages. He'd recognize her anywhere, no matter if both their faces had changed numerous times. Just as he was the Doctor. The fixer of things and of people. She was the Archivist of the Ages, the recorder of the history and all things Time Lord and Gallifreyan. He _knew_ her. He _remembered_ her. They'd taken the walk to the untempered schism together. They knew each other long before they ever chose their Time Lord names. They had gone through the Academy together. And when he went rogue, she was stuck somewhere deep in the halls of the Gallifreyan Library, writing down information as fast as it came to her through her telepathic link to the rest of the civilization. It took a great mind to do the job she had been tasked with, and she performed it remarkably in her time. Many Gallifreyan books in the TARDIS library had been written by the Archivist.

He smiled as her hand twitched under his and released it to lean over and watch her more closely. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light. "Can you please turn down the bloody lights?" she grumbled and the TARDIS obeyed.

"Hello, Archie," the Doctor whispered from by her side. It felt so natural to call her by one of the nicknames he'd given her all those years ago.

She slowly turned her head and looked at him, her eyes going wide as pieces in her mind fell further into place. "Oh my gods, I'm—" Then she cringed and groaned as she held a hand to her temple. "I've got one heck of a headache—"

"No wonder, eight or so hundred years of memories, give or take, just got whammied back into your brain. I have so many questions, Chris-I mean, Arch—Archivist." He sighed and sat back in his chair, observing her.

She closed her eyes and went into her mind, accessing the memories from her time as Christine, and thinking back over her last memories as the Archivist. She slowly sat up on the edge of the medical bed, watching the Doctor as she did. A small smile came over her face. "What are the odds that _you_ would end up finding _me_ in bloody New York City?"

He smiled back. "Infinitesimal. But it happened."

"Yes. Yes, it certainly did."

"This explains so many things."

"Does it? I figured it would leave you with a lot more questions."

"That too. But no, it answers so many questions too. Like why you were so quick to accept that I was an alien who could travel through time and space."

She shrugged. "Because deep down inside my psyche, I realized I was an alien who could travel through time and space too?"

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and his head dropped in shame. "We're all that's left, Archie. You and I. We're all that's left of the Time Lords. The Master—he's gone."

"I wondered if there would be anyone left."

"But how are you here, Arch? Why? Why did you leave Gallifrey? How did you get Chameleon'd? How did you end up on Earth?"

"Those are big questions with very long answers, Doctor. They will take a long time to answer, and I will. But first, I need to ask _you_ something."

"What?"

"Do you still want me to travel with you? On your TARDIS?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm not exactly the same person you asked."

"Aren't you? I've had to use the Chameleon Arch before—in this body. I still hold a part of John Smith inside me, and he was me, in so many ways. Were you Christine Madison?" She took a deep breath and nodded in response and he continued. "Was Christine Madison you?"

"In many, many ways, yes."

He paused a moment, taking a deep breath of his own, before asking the next question. "And, do you want to travel with me on the TARDIS?"

"More than anything. Even more now than before. It seems we're all that we've got, Doctor. You and I, the last of the Time Lords."

A small smile crossed his face. "And I want you to travel with me, even more now than before. I can't believe Christine didn't make me think of you. She really was so much like I remember you. Always asking questions—the ones no one else thought to ask. It's why you were brilliant at your job."

She smirked and shook her head. "Of all the people I get stuck with—it's you, Doc."

"I was thinking the same thing, Arch." The Doctor chuckled. The Archivist hopped down off the table, the Doctor jumped up out of the chair and they embraced each other in a hug.

"You're the _only_ one who ever called me Arch _or _Archie. I haven't been called that since—well, it's been a long time."

"Well, you're not the only one who has called me Doc. I've got a few other friends on Earth who were fond of calling me that."

"Will I meet them?"

"Hmm, I don't know. One of them tends to be a big flirt—"

Her eyebrow raised. "Worried about something?"

The Doctor flushed a bit under his freckles. He knew how he felt about Christine. And in his heart, nothing seemed to have changed, even if his mind was now connecting the face to a different name with a whole other history attached as well. "Anyway. What about _your_ TARDIS? Surely you weren't left on Earth without one?"

The Archivist tilted her head sideways a moment as she thought back, then she smiled. "It's in New York City, at my home there."

The Doctor smiled and held out his arm. "Shall we go there, then? Check on your ship?"

She linked her arm with his and nodded her head. "Yes, please. I'm terribly concerned about how she's done after all these years. What shall we do with her if we travel together?"

"We'll have to figure that out as we go. I have a feeling once we get the two together, they might know more about what to do than we could ever figure out."

"Well, let's get there and see."


	9. Chapter 9: Libby

"So you think these modifications will allow your TARDIS to give enough energy to my TARDIS for her to take flight?" The Archivist asked from where she was under the console on one side. Her legs stuck out from under the panel, and the Doctor stood at the console monitoring the changes.

"Should do. At least one very short trip."

"To where?"

"Cardiff."

"Cardiff? Why are we going to Wales?"

"Location of a significant space-time rift that I use to refuel the TARDIS. While we're there you'll meet Jack. He's the one I was telling you about—the flirt. He's head of Torchwood."

She slid out from under the console, eyebrow raised as she looked at him quizzically. "Torchwood?"

The Doctor sighed and leaned his weight on the console. "Blimey, there's a lot to catch you up on. This could take a while. Unless—no, nevermind." He said, waving off the idea and turning back to the console.

"What? What were you going to suggest?" she asked, already having an idea of what he was thinking.

"Well—we could—I could share the information telepathically, it'd be a lot quicker than having to verbally explain everything."

She slid back under the console to continue the modifications. "It might be wise anyway—that is if I'm going to do my job."

"Your job?" he asked as he flipped a few switches, monitoring the read outs.

"To record the history of the Time Lords. I'm missing a few hundred years."

He gulped. "You want to—you want to record _my_ history?"

"You _are_ what's left of the Time Lords, Doctor. Yes, I need to record your history. And mine. And what you can tell me of the Master's." She made a few more tweaks before finishing up. "How's that, Doc?" There was no response, and she frowned before sliding back out. She looked to the last spot the Doctor had been to find it empty. She sat up and looked around to find him sitting, slumped over, in the jump seat. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

"So much has happened, Arch. I just don't know—"

She knelt down in front of him, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "Doctor, you're not alone anymore. You're not alone." She pulled him into a hug and he held her tight.

After a few minutes of silent embrace, he finally pulled away from her. After a quick glance at her clothing, he grinned. "You've gotten a bit messy under the console, I'm afraid."

She looked down at herself, quirking her mouth as she examined the clothing. "Can't say I'm too disappointed. Are you terribly attached to Christine's fashion sense? I wouldn't mind a bit of a change. This is almost like regenerating, it's been so long."

His mouth suddenly felt very dry. Why was he so nervous around someone he'd known for hundreds of years before? "What does it matter what _I_ thought of Christine's clothing?"

She stood up, but kept her gaze on him as she moved to lean against the console. "I don't know, Doctor. But I sort of got the feeling it might."

He gulped, unable to look away from her, despite his own nervousness in her presence at that moment. "My connection to Christine had nothing to do with her clothing." He paused. Both of them searched in each others eyes for something that neither was quite ready to reveal. "You do what you want. I'm afraid, however, that the Old Girl doesn't have much in the way of female clothing. So we should probably get started with the process so you can recover the wardrobe from your TARDIS. Ready to connect the cabling?"

She nodded and grinned, ready to let the awkward conversation move on. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she almost hopped towards the doors leading out to the garden of her New York home. She opened them to find the old garden shack that sat at the back corner of the garden right outside the doors of the blue police box. "Good parking job!" she said loudly as she stepped out and patted the wooden door of the shack. "Alright, Libby, are you ready for a little kick start? She opened the shack door to find not the garden utensils she had seen weeks before, but instead the wide-open expanse of her control room. It was the only room currently active and available to access until power was restored. Surrounding the walls of the control room were bookshelves filled to the brim and piles of books on the floors, in fact, if it weren't for the center console, one might think it was a rather over-full library. But of course, what better suited the Archivist of the Ages? She glanced around with a big smile, then leaned down to pick up the cabling they had already connected to the underside of the console and began to drag it back towards the door. When she arrived at the small patch of grass between the two TARDISes, the Doctor was there to meet her.

"I'll take it from here. You go get ready on your end." He took the large thick cables from her and started pulling them into his TARDIS. "Alright, Old Girl. You ready to help an old friend?" As he bent down under the console, he spoke quietly. "Are you as excited about this as I am, Old Girl? What do you think, eh? This is as important for you as it is for me. Neither of us is all alone any more, what do you think of that?"

His TARDIS hummed in a sign of excitement and he smiled. "Yes, I agree." After connecting the cables to the two ports they had opened up and modified, he yelled. "Alright, ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" she shouted back as she went around the console, checking the switches. It was all dead, so there were no signals or read outs to check, so she just ensured for now that everything was turned 'off' so that the ship wouldn't overload as soon as it received power. After she had checked everything twice, she stopped, leaned over the console, placing her hands in between the switches on the flat surface. "Okay, Libby, let's make this work, girl. You can do it. Start up for me, now."

"Counting down from three!" the Doctor shouted, then took a deep breath and put his hand on the switch in front of him. He whispered, "Okay, Old Girl, show us what you've got." Then he shouted again. "Three! Two! One!" He flipped the switch and the TARDIS began thrumming loudly, her lights blinking in and out as she started diverting energy temporarily. The cabling between the two ships lit up and a flashing bright light began to pulse between the two ships, leading from the Doctor's to the Archivist's. After a few moments, the Doctor yelled again, "Anything?"

"No, not yet!" The Archivist frowned and furrowed her brow. "C'mon, Baby, you can do this! Come back to me!"

Suddenly the light up the center of the time rotor column glowed bright and the Archivist gasped as she looked up to it. "That's it! She's coming back!"

A deep hum started in the depths of the ship, growing louder and louder till finally all the lights on the console and in the room came back to life. "Yes! That's it!" The Archivist closed her eyes and basked in the glow of feeling her ship's presence back in her mind. "Hello, Libby – welcome back," she said with a smile.

"Libby?" the Doctor asked as he looked at the woman and her ship from where he was, leaned against the door frame.

The Archivist opened her eyes and turned to smile at him. "Short for Library."

"Ah," the Doctor said as she pushed off from the doorway, making the short journey up the ramp and into the center of the room. "She's a beauty, Archie." The ship thrummed, responding for herself, and the Doctor smiled. "You're very welcome, Libby. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Libby, I'm know you've got lots to do, and you and the Old Girl have lots to talk about, but do you mind getting the Wardrobe up and running as soon as possible so I can get back into some comfortable clothes?"

The ship thrummed in affirmative and almost immediately the doorway leading to the hallway and the rest of the ship lit up.

The Archivist turned to the Doctor and he shrugged and motioned her on. "You go on. I'll wait here and keep an eye on the power transfer. You can give me the full tour later, when she's back at 100%. I know she wouldn't want you showing her off when she's not at her best."

The ship thrummed again and he grinned. Archie shook her head and gave a small eye roll. "She's already started to like you _a lot_."


	10. Chapter 10: Shared History

"So, Libby, you were looking after Archie while she was Christine. But I'm assuming after several years you had to go offline. I'm sure that was hard for you." The ship thrummed in a sad tone. "But she's okay now, Libby."

The ship's screen came to life and several images came up on it.

"Oh," he said quietly as he bent down, examining the images more carefully. He was so focused on the pictures; he didn't notice Archie come up behind him.

"They were companions. The Bellows and Greg. I picked them up after I was sent away from Gallifrey. We had hardly traveled before I had to use the chameleon arch. Libby built the story so well, Greg and I—we were good friends, which wasn't a hard tale—it was true. The Bellows, they were my adopted parents. I suppose none of them counted on Greg and I falling in love and getting married. It's—it's kind of hard now that I think back—knowing Greg knew all along who I really was. It makes me wonder—Well, anyway, we'll have to go talk to Mom—Lucille, I mean—let her know I'm back."

_"She's_ the reason you're back."

"What do you mean?" she frowned with eyebrows furrowed at his statement.

"She must have gotten some sense that I was a Time Lord as well. She strongly encouraged me to take a look in your jewelry box. She knew you kept the fob watch there and must have known I'd know what to do with it." As he said that he finally looked up from the screen to see her new outfit.

She wore fitted brown pants that went down into calf high brown leather boots. Her shirt was a deep purple wrap. He wasn't sure how it was fastened, but a brown leather belt was around her waist atop the shirt, attached to the belt on her left hip was a holster that appeared to have a sonic screwdriver within it. On the other side of the belt, on her right hip, was a small brown leather pouch. Her long brown hair had been pulled back with a strip of fabric that matched her shirt.

"You look beautiful," the Doctor said openly, he'd been so stunned by her new look that his thoughts got out of his mouth before he had a chance to second guess them.

She looked down, smoothing her hands over her top. "Oh, this old thing?" She turned her head back up to him and grinned.

"Yeah," he said slowly, playfully, "you're right – a right shabby mess, really." He grinned and she mirrored it. His expression changed to one a bit more serious, though he still smiled at her. "So, shall we share our stories first, or after we take Libby to charge up?"

The Archivist looked down at the console, then back up quickly. "She's got a few hours before she'll be in any state to make the journey to Cardiff. We could—are you sure? You weren't sure before—"

He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, his fingers absently moving against the new fabric under them. "How can I keep the truth from you, Arch? Of everyone on Gallifrey—you were one of the few steadfast people always there, always faithful, always a friend. You—you were there through everything. You were one of the few who remained pure, who didn't approve of the dark, dark path Gallifrey was taking in the Time War. And now, you're all I have left. _We_ are all we have left. You deserve to know all I've done—no matter how ashamed I might be."

**—**—**

Not much later they sat cross-legged, knees touching each other, in front of the fireplace in the library of Doctor's TARDIS. Their hands rested on their respective knees as their eyes remained closed through their individual meditations in preparation for the shared experience to come. After several minutes, the Doctor felt a nudge at the edge of his mind where Archie's Time Lord presence had taken up residence like a comforting warmth. He opened up to the feeling and heard her voice within his head.

_Are you ready?_ She asked.

_Yes. How shall we do this?_ He questioned in return.

_Perhaps chronologically would be best? That way I can fill you in on the blanks you missed up till I left Gallifrey, then you can take over from there with what happened afterwards._ She felt him grow anxious at the thought and her hand extended and rested atop his. _You have nothing to fear, Doctor. I'm not running away._

_You may change your mind, Archivist._ He whispered into her mind, sorrow was edging at the peace he had found in his meditation.

His use of her full name wasn't missed by her. _Doctor. Let me be the judge of my reactions. I have some things I'd like to share a bit earlier than you may have anticipated, if you don't mind. Perhaps it will help relax you a bit._

He felt her smile even within his mind, without seeing her face. It did indeed help him to relax.

_Good. That's better. _Her hand left the top of his and he immediately realized he missed the touch. But soon, he felt her fingertips at his temples and mirrored her actions. _Now, Doctor, how much do you know about the particular telepathic gifts of the person who serves in my position?_

_Not much. I always wondered—when you were chosen—what it was. I knew you were special—unique. But I wondered how it worked, _he responded and felt her nod under his fingertips as much as he felt her acknowledgment within his mind.

_As the apprentice to the Recorder of the Ages, my already strong telepathic gifts were honed. Using some special tools on Gallifrey, I was able to take in memories as they were laid down in our people's minds, it became my job to record those memories so they would be preserved for all time, long after those Time Lords were gone. It was a very visual experience, though it all occurred within my mind. Part of my training was learning how to control the tools, and control how to turn my own abilities on and off when needed, in the presence of non-Time Lords. And how to distinguish those memories that needed to be recorded. Do you understand? _She felt a nod from the Doctor. _You have your own mental/visual representation of your mind, Doctor?_ He nodded again_. Very good. As we begin, please find yourself in that place, in your mind. As you open your eyes into the structure of your mind, you will find that there is a new doorway awaiting you. If you listen closely, you'll hear a knock._

The Doctor opened his eyes in his mind and found himself in a corridor in his TARDIS. It was how he had structured his mind. Each door represented a regeneration. Within those doors were the memories from those regenerations, organized into other hallways and doors. He rarely went into this place in his mind anymore. Rarely did he choose to revisit his past regeneration memories. Quickly he noticed a door that was not normally there. He smiled. It was purple, of course. He grew quiet and just as she said, suddenly he heard a knocking. He approached the door and reached out to the crystal doorknob, turning it and opening it to find a bright light bleeding through. His eyes adjusted as he found a shadowed figure on the other side. Once fully adjusted to the light, he saw the Archivist smiling back at him.

"Hello, Doc."

"Hello, Arch."

She held her hand out to him and he looked down a moment before reaching out to take it. Even in his mind the act made his heart beat a bit faster. She threaded her fingers between his, clasping his hand tight as she pulled him in.

He quickly found himself in a vaguely familiar Gallifreyan garden. _This seems familiar_, he said aloud, but really it was just his mental projection speaking aloud, but still telepathically within his physical body.

_It should. We spent a lot of time here when we were much younger_. She frowned then. _I wasn't expecting to take you back this far, but sometimes even my own mind decides things I'm not quite prepared for._

He heard water running before he saw the fountain. _No—_ he said, a smile crossing his face. _The Academy gardens?_

She smiled back. _Yes, exactly. Now, before we go further, I need to explain something more. We're just observers here, watching memories that have already taken place. What we're seeing is an amalgamation of multiple memories from various perspectives. It's a memory construct. It's why you aren't looking through my eyes in these memories. Because later, others memories joined mine to form the full picture that you see. Do you understand?_

His mouth hung open a minute as he tried to even begin to understand how her mind was able to do this. _What I understand is that you are amazing, Arch. I always knew you had an amazing mind, but this. This is phenomenal._

_Come on._ She smiled and pulled him forward. As they rounded the corner he heard voices and gasped as he froze when he saw the two who were speaking to each other.

"C'mon Telana, just this once. Let me see your answers." It was a younger version of him. He was looking at himself and the Archivist when they were still in the Academy. Before they had chosen their names.

"No, Theta, I will not show you my answers." The younger her said, slipping the paper in her hand back into the satchel she carried over her shoulder.

_I had almost forgotten your first name. How did that happen? When did I get so old that I started forgetting such precious things as this, _he gasped out.

_I frequently forget my own first name. I haven't accessed these memories in so, so long. I was just going to show you the gardens, but this particular memory must be important to share._ They continued to watch.

"Oh, but Telana, I thought we were friends." The younger him leaned in closer to her and waggled his eyebrows as he whispered. "Good friends." He smirked at her.

The Doctor stood, mouth agape again, at his own youthful actions. He glanced at the Archivist and saw her swallow hard, just as he glanced at the younger her and saw her do the same. But then, young her seemed to grow a steely resolve and pushed the younger him back a few inches.

"Get off it, Theta. I won't let you use your flirtatious moves just to get a look at my homework. We _are_ friends, good friends. But you had as much time to work on that paper as I did."

The younger him huffed and stood up. "Fine then, Telana. But if I get kicked out of the Academy, you'll miss me," he said as he marched away.

The Doctor stared after his younger self, ashamed at his own actions towards his friend, until he heard a faint whimpering. He looked back to see young Telana sniffling into a handkerchief.

_Oh Arch—I'm so sorry, _he whispered. He felt her hand loosen it's grip on his and it fell to her side. He looked over at her, worried, and saw a tear run down her cheek. But then he realized she was now staring not at herself but at something else. He turned back and saw the object of her gaze.

"Oh, Telana. You've let him break your heart again, haven't you?" It was the Master, or the younger version of himself. He spoke in a smooth, almost hypnotic voice. As the Doctor looked over the young man in front of him, his breath caught in his throat, especially when he saw his fingers tapping a peculiar beat against his leg as his hand hung by his side.

The young woman looked up, quickly wiping the tears away. "I'll have none of your nonsense today, Koschei. Please, leave me be."

"When will you ever realize that he doesn't think you're good enough for him and his precious _House of Lungbarrow_."

"Oh, I'm not good enough for him, but I am for you, is that it Koschei?" the young woman snapped at him and stood defiantly.

"That's precisely it, Telana. With our minds, we could rule the universe." The young man's sneer as he ran a finger down her cheek sent a chill down the Doctor's spine. He was reeling from what he was seeing, this was almost too much.

Telena shoved him away with greater strength than her earlier move against Theta. "I'll never fall for you and your power-hungry mind, Koschei." She then turned and marched away, the mental projection walking straight through the Doctor, making him gasp.

Suddenly the garden started to shine with a bright light that washed everything out. When the light dissipated, they were in a different scene. It was their naming ceremony. When she became the Archivist, he became the Doctor, and Koschei became the Master. He stood quietly, watching the scene, and followed the adoring stare of the younger Archivist to find her looking straight at—younger him. He knew he'd been a foolish youth, he had no idea he'd missed something so huge from his good friend. He started frantically trying to access his own memories to determine if there was anything more shameful that she might show him of his own actions.

_Stop working your mind so hard, Doctor, you'll break our link. You aren't in your memories right now, you're in mine, _she spoke to him, but her back was to him and she stood a few feet ahead of him.

_But Arch—_he reached out for her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't move. _Arch, I'm so sorry. I had no idea._

The light flashed again and suddenly he found himself alone in a huge library. He recognized it immediately, it was the Arcadia Archives. The Archivist's home on Gallifrey. But this section wasn't normally accessible, though he'd snuck past a few times, he'd never gotten far before being caught. But where was the Archivist?

_Arch? Archie? Archivist where are you?_ He said frantically as he started walking down the aisle of books he was in.

_I'm right here, Doctor. Don't panic._ She stepped around the corner from the other side of the aisle.

He met her at the end of the aisle and they walked towards the center of the building. They were on a high level, and as they approached the center they came up to a railing. He leaned over to look down into the center and saw several floors down, on the ground floor, an arch structure. _What's that?_

_That is my memory transcriptor. Just watch._

He looked closer and realized it was her standing in the archway, her hands extended towards the pillars of the arch. The arch glowed, and a table with papers on it seemed to rustle, a pen seemed to move magically, although even he understood it was telekinesis. She was writing via telekinesis as she took in the information via telepathy.

_Archie, this is amazing._ He whispered, as if the memory version of her would have been able to hear him.

_This was my life for quite some time. It was a very solitary existence, since no one other than myself and the Recorder were allowed in this area. Hours and hours every day I spent here all alone in the quiet…_

_Do you regret taking the name you did? The position you chose with it?_

She turned and looked at him, blinking slowly. _Do you regret your decision to be the Doctor?_

He swallowed hard. _Sometimes._

She gave a small nod, as if to acknowledge the similar answer. _I often wondered—if I'd chosen something else—would we… _Her voice trailed off, and she blushed as she continued to stare down at herself, unwilling to look him in the eyes. She then tilted her head as she watched herself finish the project she had been working on and disconnect from the archive console. _Come—this was an important day for you—though you never saw this side of things._

He frowned as he tried to determine what it could be. They followed younger her closely as she walked out the huge doors of the Archives. As she started down the steps, a voice halted her.

"He's gone, Telana."

They both looked the direction of the voice at the same time younger Archivist did, to see the Master sitting reclined on the stairs.

"My name is Archivist, if you would please give me the respect of calling me by it."

"Whatever—he's gone. Your precious Doctor is _gone_."

"What do you mean, he's gone?"

"You know, I thought for sure after his marriage, all those children, the grandchildren…it's been so long, Archivist. I would have thought at some point you'd have let him go. That you'd have realized I was right all along."

The Doctor felt so helpless as he watched young Archie's eyes—he could see the heartbreak behind them. Then she swallowed and seemed to steel herself. "His marriage was arranged—you and I both know that. He felt nothing for her."

"Is that what you've let yourself believe?" He paused a moment, then acted as if he had just realized what she was thinking. "And you'd try to tell me he felt something for _you_?"

"Why are we even having this conversation, Master? It's none of your business what or how I feel. Tell me what you have to say and then go."

"He's stolen a TARDIS and run off. I'd guess to never return again. Took his granddaughter with him…" He was quiet, as was she, as she computed this information. "He didn't take you. What was the last time he even talked to you, Archie?"

"Dont' call me that." She demanded before turning away and starting back down the library staires. "Shut up and go away. And never come back, Koschei."

"You could do me the respect of calling _me_ by my name as well."

"I've earned my title—you chose yours because of your ego, and we both know it. Leave."

_Archie…_ the Doctor whispered and reached out, touching her arm. She gasped and pulled away quickly, so hard that their mental connection was quickly broken. They both gasped as they opened their eyes and found themselves in the Library on the TARDIS. He barely got a look into her tear stained eyes before she jumped up and ran down an aisle. "Archie!" he called out after her. "Archie!" He jumped up and followed after her, looking down aisle after aisle.

"Please don't, Doctor. Just…just give me a moment. I just need to gather my thoughts."

"Archie, I'm so sorry…"

"No, _I'm_ sorry I showed you those things. I should have moved past them when they came up…I don't know why my mind went there…You have nothing to be sorry for, Doctor."

He quietly and slowly followed her voice till he finally came upon the aisle she was in, sitting cross-legged in the floor, face buried in her hands.

"That's not what it looks like," he said quietly as he slowly approached.

"I'm sorry I broke contact so quickly…I forgot the memories had such a…personal…nature to them."

"I had no idea, Arch…" he said quietly as he came up and knelt beside her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Of course you didn't," she said with a sigh.

"I was a fool."

"How's that?"

"For not seeing what I had right in front of me all those years."

"Don't say that. Don't act like if you knew it would have changed something. You had a predestined path laid out for you. With your wife."

"Which I _so_ obviously was interested in following," he said with a bit of disdain.

She snorted. "Perhaps not…but…you did follow it, nonetheless…" she grew quieter as she explored her own memories of learning of his betrothal and marriage to his arranged partner.

He frowned. "I should have fought harder against it."

"Why?"

"If only I'd known…"

"_Stop_ saying that. It wouldn't have changed anything."

He moved to sit in front of her, much like they were moments before in front of the fireplace. "Telana…look at me."

She squeezed her eyes tighter shut. "No, no, no…don't do that…don't make it so personal. Don't use that name."

"It's how I first knew you…"

"But it's not..it's not right…it's…"

"Say my name…"

_"Doctor_…"

"No…say _my_ name."

"I can't do that."

"Just say it…say _it_ please…Let me here it…"

She sighed and it slipped from her mouth as she released the breath. "…Theta…"

He inhaled sharply. Hearing her voice say his true name, even if it was the shortened…it stirred something further within him. "I want to continue…" he said quietly, reaching out to take her hand in his. She took another deep breath… "Please, Telana, let me share this with you. I'm more sure now than ever. I want you to know…I need you to know…" He gently reached over and lifted her chin, bringing her eyes up to his. "No matter how much it shames me, you need to know why I've done what I've done in my past. I want you to know it all."

She blinked slowly, then swallowed and nodded reaching up a hand to rest her fingertips on his temple.


	11. Chapter 11: Fast Forward

It took almost two hours for him to share all the memories with her that he felt were the most important. He slowed down on the more important moments, and sped through others. He was hesitant in showing her the demise of The Master at the end of The Year That Never Was, but he knew it might possibly be the most important thing he shared, perhaps even more important than his own perspective of the Time War and the end of Gallifrey. They both shed tears as they experienced the memories of the Time Lord who had been an odd 'friend' to them both.

The Doctor shared his memories all the way up through having to let Donna go, and shamefully his experience on Mars. Then…he started to share the day he met Christine Madison the first time.

_Doctor, I know this day…why have you chosen this when I experienced it?_ The Archivist spoke quietly as they watched him

The Doctor smiled and took hold of the Archivist hand within the memory. _Because, I want you to see what I saw that day, and all the days after that you shared with me. You said by gaining the memories of others in a shared experience, you can gain a full view of it. Well, here is the full view of the beginning of our new shared story._

Another hour later, she gasped as they released their mental link. She stared at him as they sat there in the middle of the aisle in the TARDIS Library. She'd seen—and felt—what he felt. _How_ he felt about her.

"There it is Arch. You've seen it all. The good and the bad. Or at least the highlights. We can hit the other points later. But that last bit—Archie, it may be the most important of all. Because—" He swallowed hard before making his admission. "—as near as I can tell…you fell for me when I was still just Theta, a lanky awkward Gallifreyan boy…"

"You were never _just_ Theta…you were just as remarkable then as you are now, Doctor," she whispered.

He gave her a gentle smile, then took a deep breath. "And I…I fell for you when you were Christine, a shadow, a reflection perhaps, of who you really are—but it was you, through and through—I'm certain of it. It makes so much sense why you were so accepting of me, why you cared so much about who I _was,_ not what I _did._ Because that's who you've always been, Telana…you've always seen through my bravado, through the things I did and said to try and be more than what I was…all you cared about was…_me_."

"You…You keep calling me Telana…"

"Because while your mind and even your soul perhaps may be The Archivist of Ages, the phenomenal Time Lord who is tasked with recording all of Gallifreyan history—deep in your heart…your heart is Telana…you are the purest, most gentle and kind person I've ever known. I've always seen that, always known that, even if it took getting to nine hundred years old before I realized how magnificent you are."

"What—so what now?"

The Doctor hopped up off the floor and held his hand out. She accepted it and he pulled her up, purposefully keeping her hand in his and pulling her just a bit closer than she might have stood on her own. "Now—we stop trying to ignore or deny that we care deeply about each other, Archivist. I'll not waste another day, another month, another year of this life like that. You taught me that, as Christine—hold each day sacred, because you don't know how many you have. Let's go out into the unknown and _live_, Archie, in honor of Titus, and Jane, and Greg—for Susan, and Rose, and Donna—let's live every day without regret."

The Archivist looked at him, wide-eyed, in awe. "That's a rather tall order to fill, don't you think, Doc? Every day without regret?"

"We can do our best, Arch. For us. For them. For those who we leave behind."

She looked deep into his amber brown eyes. "And you—you really—you're sure you—you—care? About me?"

"Oh, Arch," he said gently as he pulled her even closer. She could feel his breath hitting her cheeks and he leaned in and gave her a quick gentle kiss. "Yes, I'm certain."


	12. Chapter 12: Now What?

"At the risk of sounding repetitive—now what?" the Archivist asked as she and the Doctor walked, hand in hand, back towards the control room of his TARDIS.

"Libby should be just about done with getting charged up and ready to go. Let's go take a look and see if your girl is ready."

Archie frowned and spoke just as they entered the control room. "So, I suppose this means if we're going to take both TARDISes on our adventures, we'll have to fly separate?"

Just then, the cloister bell rang and they both looked to the console to see a book sitting atop it, open to a page.

The Doctor's eyebrow raised and the both of them approached to look. A smirk slowly appeared on his face. "I believe the Old Girl has answered your question."

"TARDIS docking?"

"Mm hmm, looks like it."

"All the instructions are right here…you've never read the instructions to know this?"

"I, um, I tend to wing it most of the time."

Archie rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed."

"Are we going to argue about my TARDIS mechanics knowledge or go check on Libby?" the Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I do need to check on Libby. I need to see if the memory transcripter is online so I can complete the history up to this point. I might need you to go back over a few details so that I can be sure I'm getting it right."

"You have the memory transcripter on Libby?"

The Archivist grinned. "Oh, just wait…I have so much to show you, Doctor."

He grinned back. "Well then…Allonsy!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door of the TARDIS, just as quickly as they were out the doors of the police box they were running into the doors of Libby, who was still camouflaged as the garden shed behind Christine's New York home.

"Wow, look at her!" the Doctor exclaimed as he spun in a circle in the middle of the Library's control room. "I really do feel like I'm inside the libraries of Gallifrey! The dome ceiling, the bookshelves…so many books!"

Archie grinned. "You haven't seen anything yet, Doc…" She held out her hand. "Come with me!" He wasn't used to being on this side of the adventure—but he liked it. He took her hand and she led him quickly a short distance down the halls of the ship to a large double door. "Are you ready?" He nodded excitedly and she opened the double doors. It led onto a platform and he gasped as they stepped out onto it.

There before him as far as the eye could see were bookshelves, rows and rows, aisle upon aisle, multiple floors with walkways going along the shelves, ladders to reach higher shelves… Libby was indeed the Library. "Archie, it's…" he whispered.

"It's everything. The entire library of Gallifrey. Every single book that was housed in every library on the planet. They were all placed onto Libby for safe-keeping during the War and when they could wait no longer they sent me away with her."

"It's beautiful…"

It pleased the Archivist to know the Doctor was appreciative of her ship and it's contents. She felt a deep sense of pride in her duty as the Archivist of Ages.

That's it—isn't it?" he said, pointing towards the center of the enormous room to a circular platform that stood tall with arches over top.

"_That_ is the Memory Transcripter. The tool of my trade. Would you—would you like to see?"

He looked in awe. "Am I allowed?"

"Under normal circumstances, were we still on Gallifrey and in the Arcadia Archives then no, you would not be allowed anywhere near the room where the memory transcripter resides. But it's just me and you now, Doc—and if I'm going to do this, I'll need your help."

"My help?" he asked as she took his hand again and began leading him down a spiral rod iron stairwell towards the main floor of the Library.

"Yes. It's been a long time since I used the transcripter, and it can be…dangerous…"

Suddenly their forward motion was stopped as he came to a halt. "Dangerous? If it's dangerous, can't you just write it down the old fashioned way, pen and paper? Or _type_ it by all means, that'll be a little faster—but less dangerous."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Could I? Yes. But that's not the way it's meant to be done, Doctor. It will be fine, I just need you to monitor the readings while I connect and and process the information. It won't take long as it's just me and you and a few hundred years of memories on your part to cover."

"Just a few hundred years?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked. "Yup. Easy peasy."

He sighed and shook his head and with another tug allowed her to move them forward again. "Alright, but I want to know exactly how this thing works and what to do if there's a problem. I'll not have you risking your life simply to record _my_ history. Especially when you and I could be the only two to ever see it."

"Your life is important, Doctor. And…perhaps one day we won't be the only two to see it." The last part came out as she examined the equipment, and she didn't realize till it was too late what she'd just said.

He gave her a confused look, "But we are the only two Time Lords…" When he saw her blush, he realized what she meant. "Oh. Oh!"

Her cheeks continued to warm as she realized the connotation of what she said. "I just mean—I don't mean to say—I'm not trying to—"

He squeezed her hand. "Don't take it back, Arch." He then reached up with his free hand and gently traced her jawline. "I'm not going to jump you right here and now…but it's good to know you're thinking about the future."

Her face suddenly went ashen and he could see her withdrawing within her mind. "Arch, what's wrong?"

"I…I don't even know if I can have babies anymore. My pregnancies with Titus and Jane were incredibly difficult. I had C-Sections with both. What if…what if I can't have children, Doctor? Then the Time Lords really do end with us!"

She started to break down in tears so the Doctor quickly pulled her in and held her close. "Shh, now, it's okay, it'll be okay. I'm willing to bet that the regeneration energy expelled to bring you back to your Time Lord biology healed up any possible damage. And even so, even if that were the case, Arch, then we'll just live our lives the best we can for as long as we have them. If the Time Lords end with us, then we'll be sure we leave behind a legacy that can be looked on with admiration." She started to calm and he continued to hold her close. "Once we get to Cardiff and get the ships settled in to soak up the Rift energy, we'll check you out in the medbay. Or better yet, I know a great doctor who I bet would be willing to take a look, if you'd like."

She nodded into his shoulder and took a deep breath, stepping back, but still holding onto his hands.

He smiled and shook his head. "Blimey, who'd have ever thought there would even be the possibility of a far future for the Time Lords." His line of sight had wandered off down an aisle of books, but when he looked back to her he could see she was terribly nervous. He gently squeezed her hand again. "No need to rush it."

She gulped and nodded. "So there _is _a good reason to record your history, Doc."

His palm rested gently on her cheek and he came in closer. "Yes, but if something happens to you while you're trying to record it, Telana, there really won't be _any_ chance of there being anyone to read it when I'm gone. So, please, let's be extra careful."

She nodded and blushed, once again, at his use of her personal name. He said it with such affection it made her feel light headed every time he did it. "Okay."

"So, carry on—lead the way," he said, motioning towards the main console.

She led him up the steps to the arched platform of the Memory Transcripter, the Doctor walked around it slowly while the Archivist started checking the controls. "I remember seeing this in your memories."

"I spent most of my time attached to this thing." She paused and stared off into nothing for a brief moment. "Usually even when I wasn't required to, I'd stay after and continue my work. I tended to…avoid…my own life by keeping my head in other peoples.

"I missed you," he said as he came up into the center of the platform and examined the arches.

"You did not," she said with an eye roll.

"I did! I swear! I thought about you often, wondered how you were doing…If you don't believe me, go back in my head and see for yourself."

"That won't be necessary," she said bashfully as she kept her head down, examining the readouts. "Alright, come over here and I'll show you how this thing works…"

* * *

Two hours later, she signaled the shutdown on the transcription process. A few moments later, her hands lowered from the energy beams that reached out to her from the arches. Once the entire system was shut down, she turned to see the Doctor staring at her. "What?"

"That was remarkable."

"I've gotten rusty—I didn't get nearly as far as I thought I would. We'll have to come back later so I can finish. Then, depending on how active our adventuring is, I'd like to come in regularly and add the necessary details as we go along."

"Sounds good. But now—Cardiff?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. Cardiff."

He reached out for her hand and they walked back to Libby's Control Room. "Alright, so I'll go over the the Old Girl and we'll get the docking process started."

"Sounds good. We should let her have primary control, since she's a bit more used to the traveling than Libby is at this point. It's been quite a few years for her."

The Doctor was walking backwards towards the door as they talked. "Good plan. See you in a few."

* * *

An hour later they were stepping out of the TARDIS and onto Ronahld Dall Plass in Cardiff.


	13. Chapter 13: Introductions

"It's beautiful here, Doctor."

"It is. And there's a great big secret hiding underneath."

The Archivist frowned and looked down at the ground beneath her. "There is?"

"Step right this way, ma'am," the Doctor took her hand and tugged her towards a very special spot on the sidewalk.

He stopped right in the middle of a particular tile on the sidewalk and they stood there a moment before Archie gave him a puzzled look. "Um, Doctor?"

"Just a moment. Jack must be out, otherwise we'd have been brought down much quicker. It'll just take a moment for whoever is there to scan and determine that it's safe to bring us down."

Suddenly the ground under them seemed to shake. Archie grabbed the Doctor's arm with her free hand just as the sidewalk square began to lower into the ground. She gasped as the Torchwood Hub began to appear as they were lowered.

"Doctor, can I presume your newest companion has gone through the proper checks and is safe to bring into the Hub?"

"First off, Gwen Cooper, I'd like to think you'd know better, by now, than to question my choice for companions. Second of all, the woman standing before you is not my companion."

"Then who is she, Doctor?"

"That will remain unexplained until Jack is present. Where is the Captain?"

"He should be back any minute now."

Just then, as if on cue, the main hatch of the Torchwood Hub rolled open and two familiar faces came running through.

"Hah! Pay up! I told you he'd be down here!" Jack exclaimed as he and Martha Jones came over.

"Jack! Martha! Perfect! You're both here!" The Doctor grinned as he hugged his old companions.

"Doctor, who's your beautiful friend?"

"Jack!" Martha swatted at his shoulder before turning and trying to put up a better impression than the one Jack was providing. "Hi, I'm Martha Jones. Are you traveling with the Doctor now?"

The Archivist smiled. "Um, yes—yes, I suppose I am."

"Oh, still new to it, are you?" Martha asked, assuming based on the woman's answer.

"Well, in a manner of speaking, yes."

Martha looked a bit confused, but before the Doctor could begin to explain, Jack stepped forward and took Archie's hand. "Captain Jack Harkness, ma'am—it's a pleasure to meet you." He leaned over and kissed her knuckles. "What was your name?"

"If you'd stop flirting a moment, Jack—I could get around to explaining."

Martha frowned. "Her name requires explanation?"

"Well, on Earth I've been known as Christine Madison," the female Gallifreyan began to explain.

"On…Earth?"

"But amongst the Time Lord's, I'm known as The Archivist."

"Amongst Time—" Martha repeated her.

"Time Lords? You're a Time Lord?" Jack interrupted.

A few minutes later the Doctor and the Archivist had finished explaining the story of her arrival on Earth to go into hiding.

"You've been on Earth this entire time? Doctor—there was another Time Lord out there the whole time—"

"Well, I have brought her forward from the time she spent. When I first met Archie as Christine it was the year 2001 in New York City."

"He saved me and a whole lot of other people from a bomb in the building I was in for a meeting."

"Christine Madison—that name seems familiar."

"I was an author."

"So you had to use the chameleon arch like the Doctor did when I was traveling with him."

"Yes, except I was masked as a human for almost twenty years."

Martha's eyes went wide. "Twenty years? That's—that's incredible. How—did you not have a companion traveling with you?"

"I did—but things got—complicated."

"Martha, it's only been a day since Archie reawakened as a Time Lord. We were wondering if you'd mind giving her a bit of a check-up."

"You keep calling her Arch or Archie—but if her name is The Archivist—wouldn't it be, Arky? Or Ark?" Gwen questioned.

"Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?" The Doctor shrugged. "Besides, it's based on spelling, not phonetics."

"Archivist, we can head to the medbay now, if you'd like me to go ahead and check you out?"

Archie looked a bit uncomfortable, but nodded. "Yes, please." She followed after Martha, and the Doctor was on her heels.

When Martha noticed, she stopped. "Doctor, ladies only, please."

"Oh—um—Arch, you okay?"

Archie blushed. "Yes, Doctor, I'll be fine."

* * *

A few minutes later, the Archivist sat on a medical examination bed in the med bay of the Torchwood Hub. Martha stood at her side with a tablet in hand.

"So, let's start with pertinent medical history. Other than your recent transformation back into a Time Lord, any previous regenerations?

"Twice."

"Blimey—so, as I expected, the Doctor's ten regenerations are as a result of negligence and aren't quite so typical of a Time Lord?"

"Well, the Doctor saw a lot more action than I did. I was stuck in a library, he was exploring. Not so many enemies in a library. Well—unless you're considering _the_ Library the Doctor visited that once. But that was with Donna, after you stopped traveling with him."

"How many stories has he told you of his adventures?" Martha asked, getting distracted.

"He didn't _tell me_ per-se, It's my job to record the history of the Time Lords, so the Doctor and I spent several hours earlier today covering the past hundred years or so of his history for me to write down."

"You wrote down a hundred years of history in a few hours?"

"It's—complicated."

Martha nodded slowly, then went back to her medical questions. "Any gender changes via regeneration?"

"No, I've remained female since my birth."

"Any surgeries or major medical incidents I should be aware of?

"Yes, actually. In fact, that's really why I wanted you to see me, Dr. Jones."

"Please, call me Martha. What's happened, Archivist?"

"During my twenty years as a human I was pregnant twice. The pregnancies and childbirth was difficult, but the babies were both healthy."

Martha's eyes went wide. "You gave birth twice while masked as a human? And your children?"

"Both human, if there was anything different about them, no one noticed, including me. They were happy, healthy children."

_"Were_?" Martha emphasized her repetition of the word. "What happened to your children?"

Archie looked down at the floor and swallowed hard. "My children were visiting their father at his job one day. I was at meetings all day and they had received special permission to have the day off from school so they could see what their father's job was like." Archie paused. "My husband worked at the World Trade Center, Martha. The day they visited was September 11, 2001. I lost them all that day."

Martha gasped, her hand clapping over mouth. After a few moments of silence, Archie continued. "I had just met the doctor a few months before that." She chuckled as she remembered. "I refused to travel with him. I wouldn't even let him show me his TARDIS. It wasn't that I didn't believe him. I did."

"He came back for you?"

"He did. I had told him I didn't want him looking into my future to see how things turned out for me. He did it anyway. No surprise there. So, when he looked me up, of course, the first thing he saw was 9-11. He came back as soon as he could. The TARDIS wouldn't let him any closer than October of the next year."

"And then you started traveling with him?" Martha was so caught up in the Archivist story, she'd forgotten all about what she was supposed to be doing.

"No. I still refused. But, I allowed him to come visit me. I made him promise that he'd wait the same amount of time between visits that I had to. No skipping forward in time. He came back to visit almost once a week, on the date I'd give him. I made him play by my rules."

Martha almost choked. "That must have been a change of pace for him."

Archie smiled "It was."

Archie was quiet and didn't reveal any further details, and after a moment Martha finally got back to business. "So, what are your concerns?"

"I need to know if the regeneration energy healed any…damage…that might have happened as a result of the pregnancies and C-Sections." Archie looked down at her abdomen. "To be frank, Martha—I want to know if I can safely have babies again."

Martha's eyes went wide again. She quickly put two and two together but kept her mouth shut. It took her a moment to recover before she was back in her professional demeanor. "Of course, let me pull out the ultrasound machine. But—am I going to be able to figure out your reproductive organs? How similar are they to a humans?"

"Very similar."

Twenty minutes later, Martha was moving the ultrasound machine back to the corner. "Absolutely no signs of scar tissue internally or externally. In fact, if you hadn't told me, I would have assumed you'd never had children."

Archie's shoulders relaxed, but inside, her heart clenched. It took her a moment before she responded. "So the regeneration energy expelled to return me to my Time Lord state took care of everything. That's a…relief." Martha looked as if she was working herself up to a question. While Archie could guess what it was, she decided to give Martha the opportunity to ask herself. "You have a question you want to ask me, don't you, Martha?"

"You—you and the Doctor?"

"We've known each other a long time—from the time we were children. We attended the Academy together. I—I was quite fond of him all those many years ago. Very fond. For him, it was while I was Christine. We spent a lot of time together."

"So the two of you—you're—"

"We're still figuring things out. I'm sorry, if this is awkward for you, Martha. I assumed since you and Mickey are together now that—"

"No, no—it's fine—everything is fine. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to the Doctor being in an actual relationship with someone and it's a bit of a shock."

"Knowing what I do now about these last few years, I can see how that would be the case."

"I guess I don't know Time Lord traditions and customs and dating and all that. It just seems a bit early to be discussing—"

"Martha," Archie interrupted. "We're not going to be attempting to reproduce anytime soon, if that's what you're worried about. However—we care about each other very much, and we _are_ the last two of our race. It puts things in perspective. It came up in a round about way and—well, I immediately feared it was a moot point—that I might not be able to even _consider_ having another child."

Martha smiled. "Well, you can put your mind at ease. While I don't know anything about Gallifreyan pregnancies, I think you'd be fine. You're in great health."

"Perhaps, down the road, if things did work out that way—I could let you borrow a few books from the library, that is—if you'd be willing to help."

Martha's smile grew even wider. "Really? You'd want me to help?"

"Martha, the Doctor trusts you implicitly. That is a high honor and one that I take seriously. If he trusts you, I do, too."

"But what library are you talking about?"

Archie hopped down off the table and grinned. "Oh, there is still so much to tell you."

"I wish I had time to make you sit down and tell me everything now, but Mickey and I have plans later tonight."

When the two ladies came back out, the Doctor and Jack weren't in the main hub area.

"They're upstairs in Jack's office discussing something or the other," Gwen said as she nodded up to the second platform.

Archie looked up, barely able to make out the Doctor's form through the window blinds in the office.

"If I wanted to get some fresh air, what's the easiest way for me to get back up to street level?"

Gwen pointed towards the large round doorway. "Straight through that door, follow the hallway and you'll see the elevator to take you up. You'll come out in another small hallway that leads to a storefront that masks the primary hub entrance. Our teammate Ianto will be there keeping an eye on things. I'll give him a head's up you're on your way."

"Thank you, Gwen."


	14. Chapter 14: Never Forget

Archie had been standing at the seawall, looking out over Cardiff Bay, for about a twenty minutes when she felt the Doctor's presence looming closer, then he spoke up. "Arch—is everything okay?" He came up beside her and examined her face as best he could from a side profile.

She gave a small smile that didn't quite convince him. "Everything is fine, Doctor. Just taking some time to think. It's been a whirlwind of a few days, hasn't it?"

"I suppose it has, hasn't it? I've barely given you a minute to breathe since you woke up in the medbay this morning. I'm sorry, Arch—I should have been more considerate."

"It's alright, Doc. Martha says I could run a marathon tomorrow if I wanted."

The Doctor finally allowed a smile on his face. "So, a clean bill of health?"

She finally turned and looked directly at him. "Perfectly clean. I'm as good as new."

He visibly relaxed. "I'm so happy to hear that, Arch. I was worried."

"All good, Doctor," she said. But again, he could tell everything wasn't good. She looked as if she was about to break down in tears. She sucked in a breath and tried to continue speaking. "Martha says she would have never known I had children if I hadn't told her." By the time she finished speaking, her voice was trembling. A hand flew to her mouth before a sob escaped.

"Oh, Arch," the Doctor whispered as he pulled her towards himself and wrapped his arms around her.

She sobbed. "I don't want to forget my babies, Doctor! I don't want to forget my husband! They were real people. They lived real lives and deserve to be remembered!"

The Doctor's heart broke. And it wasn't lost on him that he'd heard a similar sentiment before—from Donna Noble. Though here children were in a virtual reality—to her, they felt very real. For the Archivist however, her children and husband truly were written in history books. He gently hushed her. "Shh. Hush now. Of course we won't forget them. We'll never forget them. We'll talk about them and we'll honor them."

"I'm—I'm so scared that the longer I'm a Time Lord again, that I'll forget my time as a human."

The Doctor pulled back to look at her. "You remember my time as a human? When Martha watched over me."

She nodded and sniffled.

"And you remember Joan?"

She nodded again.

"I know it wasn't the same, I wasn't a human for nearly as long as you were, just a few months, but I haven't forgotten Joan. I haven't forgotten the hard lessons I learned from that time. But if I remember the things that happened during that brief time, there's no doubt that you'll forever remember the impact your husband and children had on your life."

Archie took a deep shaky breath as she slowly recovered from her upset. The Doctor watched her closely for a moment before pulling her back in to hold her close for a few more moments. It was then, as he looked up at the water tower sculpture in the middle of the Plass that he came up with an idea. He released her from his hold, slipping his hand down to take hers. "Come on, we're taking a little trip."

She sniffled. "We are?"

"Mm-hmm, just a few years and a few thousand miles away."

"But what about Libby needing to charge?"

"We'll undock and leave her here, if that's okay with you?"

The Archivist frowned, her brow furrowing as she considered the idea. "I'm not fond of leaving her when she's in such a fragile state. You're sure she's okay here?"

"I'm positive. We'll let Jack know before we leave, he'll keep an eye on her. And her chameleon circuit and perception filter should be intact, too. We'll be sure before we go."

"Where are we going?" she asked, still frowning in confusion and frustration.

"It's a surprise, a good one, I promise. Please trust me."

Archie sighed. "Okay. Alright. But we'll tell Jack-"

"Yes, yes—and we'll make sure she's properly hidden before we leave. I promise."

A few minutes later they were standing at the console in the Doctor's TARDIS control room. The Doctor had 'dialed up' Jack and he was now on the screen. "Jack, we're just taking a quick trip on my TARDIS. But Archie's is going to be staying behind to continue fueling up on the Rift. Do you mind keeping an eye on her?"

"Of course, Doc. We'll take care of her like she's our own. But, what should I expect to be looking at once you undock?"

The Doctor glanced towards the door to Libby's control room that now sat to the right of the exit door of his own TARDIS. Archie was there, keeping an eye on readings and making sure the undocking process went safely. "We're not exactly sure yet, Jack. You'll know when we know."

"You got it, Doc."

"Thanks Jack." The Doctor ended the transmission and yelled in the direction of the door. "Ready?"

Suddenly Archie's picture appeared on the screen where Jack had just been. "You know, there are other ways to communicate between the TARDISes, rather than yelling."

The Doctor grinned. "Aw, now isn't that a beautiful face on my screen."

Archie rolled her eyes. "Undocking now, Doctor?"

He smirked. "Yup."

As the Doctor's TARDIS dematerialized and undocked from Libby, the new door in his control room disappeared. When the blue Police Box rematerialized a few feet away, he quickly ran to the exit door and opened it quickly to step through to look out onto the Plass. He chuckled when he saw what was left behind in the spot the Police Box had been in. While docked, both ships had been contained within the Police Box his ship mimicked. Now, left on it's own, Libby had decided to mimic the closest thing to it—the Torchwood Water Tower.

The Doctor didn't notice the notch of a door handle in the miniature mirrored tower until Archie opened the hidden door and exited. She stepped out and turned around to view it with a smile. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"She is."

Archie stepped over to where the Doctor stood and looked at her ship. Just then a couple walked by, totally ignoring the miniature monument they walked within feet of. "Well, I suppose that means her perception filter is working."

"Either that or the residents of Cardiff think a mini-tower has been built in the plaza," the Doctor said with a chuckle. After a moment of both of them staring at her ship, he nodded her towards his Tardis. "Come on, now—time to go on a quick trip."

She followed him silently, deciding not to question him again about where they were going, since it seemed pointless. In only took a few minutes before the ship was re-materializing. She stood as he approached and took her hand, guiding her to the door. It was only when they reached the door that he spoke again. "Archie, this might not be easy, but I think it's important. You don't want to forget Greg, or Ty, or Jane—and neither do I."

It was nighttime when they stepped out of the ship, but the Archivist immediately recognized the place. She froze in place, her brow furrowing in pain. "Why did you bring me _here?"_

"Please, trust me , Arch—it's just around this corner." After a moment he sensed her relax enough that he began leading her down the sidewalk and towards the Memorial. "When we left, all they knew is they needed to have a memorial to remember all the lives lost that day. It took years for them to start the work." As they came around the corner Archie got her first look at the reflecting pools, with people milling about. "Just a few years ago, on the tenth anniversary of the attacks, they opened this memorial. I brought us a few years after that so that we might catch it a little less busy. But, Archivist, today is September 11, 2016. Come—look."

He led her forward in a very specific direction. He'd done a bit of quick research and had already pinpointed exactly where he needed to go. As they got closer, the Doctor stopped at a small flower stand nearby and handed money to the owner, taking a small bouquet of flowers. He handed them to the Archivist. "We'll want these."

Soon, she realized that the plaques all along the deep pool had names on them. Her eyes were already tearing up, and now the tears began to fall. As they stopped, her eyes immediately went the names in front of them.

_Gregory Madison_

_Titus Madison_

_Jane Madison_

The Doctor spoke quietly now, whispering so only she could hear. "This memorial continues on till the end of Earth as we know it here, Arch—and when this Earth dies, it's people take the names with them and remember them in New New York, New New New York, and so on, and so on. New York never forgets. The people of Earth _never forget_. And _we_ will _never_ forget, Arch. Never."

The Archivist placed the flowers by the precious names and leaned against the Doctor. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I was thinking," he said as he turned them to face the two lights shining up into the sky in the distance. "We could visit here every year, if you like."

Archie shook her head and pulled away from him, looking away from him, the memorial, the lights—out to the city streets. "There you go, talking about the future again—I still say you might decide you're tired of me sooner than later."

The Doctor frowned and turned her towards him with a hand on her shoulder. "Archivist," he said quietly, then spoke more familiarly, "Telana—I—I don't know how to help you understand this. Before, when you were Christine and said that—it was like you were worried about not being my equal, like you were lower than me because of what I do and who I am. Now, you're at _least_ my equal, if not far superior to me. Yet somehow, you still think you are somehow—unworthy? Is that it?"

"I—I—" She withdrew into herself, both physically and mentally. What little feeling he was getting from her mentally, she shut down with a mental block. "Doctor, can we please go back to the TARDIS?"

"Arch, please, talk to me. Let me in. Don't block me out, _please_."

"I'll just—I'll find my way back," she said, walking back the way they'd come.

His mouth sat open wide. He was speechless. What had happened? He'd brought her here to help her heal, even infinitesimally, and at first it seemed things were fine. Then, suddenly, at even the mention of the future, she closed down again.

After a few moments of watching, he finally unglued himself from the spot he'd been standing in and followed after her. He caught almost up to her, leaving a few steps between them, and giving her the silence she seemed to want. When she made it back to the TARDIS, he watched her pull the key from around her neck and put it in the lock, entering before he could catch up. When he followed her in, she was already almost to the hallway leading to their rooms.

_"Telana_, please," he attempted one last plea. She stopped a moment, then began moving again, leaving him alone in the control room.

He sat on the jump seat, staring off into space, thinking over every moment that had occurred since the Archivist had awoken in the medbay. He reviewed every detail in his mind, trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

After an hour in thought, he stood and walked around the console, flipping levers and sending the ship towards a destination he hadn't visited in almost three years.

Soon, he halted the ships motion and walked to the doorway, opening them to find before him the Medusa Cascade. He leaned against the doorframe, then slid down it, sitting with knees bent, and rested his head against the frame as he looked out into the colorful nebulous region. After he'd lost Donna he came back here often. Even after he met Christine, he'd come here several times after. It was where he came to talk to Donna. Or at least pretend he was.

"I wish you were here, Donna. You could make sense of this. You'd tell me where things had gone pear-shaped. I'm sure you'd point out to me how I've messed this up. And maybe you could go talk to her. You could tell her how I really do feel." He paused for a few minutes, rolling his head against the doorframe to look back in the ship towards the hallway. "I'm an idiot, Donna—yeah, yeah, I know—tell you something you don't already know. But really—I'm such an idiot. I spent the first 200 years of my life with a woman standing very near my side who cared more about me than I ever deserved."

His head rolled back to look out at the Cascade. "700 or so years later, and I'm still just a great big idiot. Except I'm not blind anymore. I see her. Oh, I see her, Donna. And she's magnificent. You told me to find someone, Donna—and I have. But not just anyone, Donna. She's a Time Lord, and she's been a friend to me longer than anyone else in existence, and that's saying something. And well—I've fallen for her. I love her, Donna. And I think she's slipping away from me." He grew more frantic and emotional the more he spoke. Then, he grew quiet.


	15. Chapter 15: The Whispering

Twelve minutes later, the Doctor was still sitting in the open doorway of the TARDIS, overlooking the Medusa Cascade—except his eyes were closed and a tear was rolling down his cheek.

He was unaware of her presence until she knelt beside him and whispered as she wiped the tear off his cheek. "Hey, Doc."

He inhaled quickly as he opened his eyes and saw her there beside him. "Arch, I—" He quickly stood and she followed suit almost immediately. "I—I'm sorry, I'll get us back to Cardiff so you can get back to Libby. I was just—"

He was to the console before she could stop him. He had already started flipping a few switches when her hand covered his to still his motion. "Doctor—slow down." He stopped, but she felt his hand trembling under hers. She gave him a sad smile. "Before we go back—let's get some tea and go to sit by the fire in the library. We need to talk."

His eyes were wide as he stared at her, trying to discern what direction this 'talk' might end up going in. "Talk?" he squeaked out.

She nodded and rested her hand on his arm now. "Yes, talk. I owe you an explanation for my own behavior."

"O-O-okay," he stuttered.

As they prepared tea in the kitchen, they were both quiet. On one hand, the Doctor wished she'd just start talking—that he could understand what was going on. On the other hand, he was terrified of what she was going to say. They walked down the hall to the library in silence. It was only once they were settled in on the couch by the fireplace that she began to speak.

"Doctor, I—"

"Whatever it is I've done, Arch—I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. Please don't leave. Give me another chance, I—"

It had started to pour out of him before she could even begin to explain. He was terrified and it broke her own heart to know her fear, her own behavior, had caused him to be so afraid. "Doctor!" she interrupted him. "Stop apologizing and let me explain." His mouth snapped shut and after another deep breath she began explaining. "You haven't done anything wrong, not between us, not since I woke up as the Archivist again. But ever since we went back in my memories, there's been this _voice_ whispering in my head—"

The Doctor frowned. "A voice? What is it saying?"

She looked him in the eye now, and explained. "Don't trust the Doctor. He'll just hurt you again. He only—cared for you because you were Christine. He doesn't really care about you now. He's just—he's just acting interested so that he can continue his beloved Time Lord race." She quickly looked down into her tea again, ashamed at voicing the thoughts in her head.

His demeanor darkened. "That's—that's not true."

She stood and began pacing in front of the fire place, in much the same manic way the Doctor might. Her brow furrowed as she spoke, "I know, I know it's not—"

He sat forward on the couch. "Telana, those words sound very much like the words of—"

She stopped and turned to him, "Like Koschei. I know."

"The Master is dead. He's gone. And yet he's still trying to control you—"

"I guess all those years of him trying to sway me to not be loyal to you, to try and break my—care—for you—I guess it buried deeper than I thought it had."

The Doctor stood and interrupted her pacing by placing his own body between her and the invisible spot she'd been walking towards. He reached out and touched her cheek and she felt his presence pushing at the edge of her mind. She closed her eyes and welcomed him back in.

_Telana, I can't make you trust me. All I -can- do is tell you that you can. I can tell you that I'd never hurt you again, not on purpose._

_I know, Doctor._

_Do you still-do you really still…care about me, Telana? Like you did all those years ago?_

_Doctor…Theta…I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Deep, in the back of my mind, you were always there. Even as Christine, I fell for you._

The Doctor felt as if his hearts might burst, first because she willingly used his personal name, and second, at her decision to actually use the word 'love'. _Are you sure? Because I'm not the same man I was then, I've regenerated so, so many times. At least nine._

_More than nine._

_That's a discussion for another day. The point is—if you can still love me—through all these regenerations, through all the different men I've been—_

_You're still you, still Theta, still the Doctor._

_Precisely. Then why can't I still love you even though you've changed from Christine back to the Archivist? She was you, you are her. Perhaps seeing you, experiencing you as Christine—maybe that was what I needed to be reminded of how much I had in you all those years ago. Christine was what I needed to see to have those feelings stirred within me, but you, you are still the one I love._

They were quiet for several minutes before the Doctor spoke aloud. "Open your eyes, Telana." She opened her eyes to find him staring at her. His hand still rested on her cheek. "The last thing we have to address from this litany of lies that the Master has embedded in your head is this—Telana, I _swear_ to you that I am not in this just to procreate. I wish we'd never even thought about that. I wish we didn't _have_ to think about that." He paused a beat, determining something in his mind. "In fact, we _don't_ have to think about that. Other than a very brief time when _he_ reappeared, I've lived a hundred years since the Time War with the knowledge that I'd be the last Time Lord. I can live with the knowledge that we'll be the last _two_ Time Lords just as easily."

"Ignoring the fact that we are bio-compatible and _could _procreate if necessary," she said as scientifically as possible, though in her heart the idea was very personal and very much non-scientific.

"Yes, ignoring that fact."

"So where does that leave us? What now?"

"I think you should brush up on what's required of a female Time Lord to prevent pregnancy. I can inhibit certain things, but then you wouldn't know for sure if I was. There would still, could still, be a question in your mind. You should have that control."

The Archivist frowned ever so slightly and searched his eyes. "But Doctor, that would imply that we're going to—"

"I want to marry you," he blurted out before she could continue.

Her eyes went wide. "What!?"

"Marry me. I want to spend the rest of my lives with you, Telana."

"M-Marry you?"

"Yes."

"You want to marry me?"

"I feel like we're going in circles now, Arch. Yes, _I_, the Doctor love you and want to marry _you_, the Archivist. I, _Theta_, want to marry you, _Telana_. Will you marry me?"

"I—I spent so many years dreaming of spending forever with you. Of the adventures we'd go on together, the family we'd have together. I dreamed of silly every day things and grand adventurous things. I can't quite believe this is happening. I can't believe my dream could come true."

"Oh, Arch—if anyone deserves to have their dreams come true, it's you. What do you think? Are you ready to write our shared story? The story of the Archivist, who knew all along, and the Doctor who was slow to catch up?" He asked with a humored smile on his face.

"My dear Doctor, I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my lives with you. Yes, I will marry you."

One of his hands still rested on her cheek, the other now went to the nape of her neck as he leaned in and kissed her. He hoped, in that moment, to express to her every bit of love he felt for her. To wash away her doubts and permanently remove the Master's whispered negativity from her mind.


	16. Chapter 16: An Announcement

The Doctor and the Archivist returned to Cardiff Bay, setting the Doctor's TARDIS down next to Libby. When they exited the blue box, they were both smiling and holding hands.

"Short way or long way?" he asked before they made it too far out of the ship.

"The long way isn't terribly long, and it's a nice evening."

"So we agree, we let Jack and Martha know, then we get back to our TARDISes for some sleep. Then tomorrow—tomorrow, you become my wife."

"You're sure you want to do it tomorrow? I don't want to rush you."

"Archie, I'm the one that asked you. How could you possibly be rushing me into something that I am so eager for?"

"I know. Still just having a hard time believing this is really happening between us, Doc."

"Are _you_ okay with tomorrow?"

She nodded and they both smiled as he led her towards the storefront secret entrance of Torchwood.

* * *

"Hey Doc, welcome back. You two have a safe trip?" Jack said from where he and the rest of his team sat around a table eating a dinner of take-out Chinese together.

"Yup, just a quick trip to show the Archivist a few things that happened since her time in New York City." The Doctor then grinned when he saw Mickey Smith sitting by Martha. "Mickey! I was wondering when you'd show up!"

"Hey Boss! Martha and I were just about to head out, but I was hoping I'd get to see you around when she told me you'd showed up."

"Mickey, this is the Archivist, a fellow Time Lord. Archie and I grew up together at the Academy. We lost touch and I thought she was gone along with the rest of my people. Then, I met a remarkable woman in 2001 in New York City and quite fell for her. Come to find out, she was a chameleoned Time Lord and here she is, my Archie. And tomorrow, she'll be my wife."

Martha gasped at the same time Jack let out a hoot, followed by one from Mickey.

"Martha, Mickey, Jack—we'd like for you to join us for the ceremony, if you would do us the honor," the Doctor asked as he looked around the table at his friends.

Martha had already jumped from her seat and run over to the Doctor, pulling him into a hug. "Of course, Doctor. I'm so happy for you."

"If the Misses is there, so am I," Mickey said with a grin.

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried, Doc." Jack added.

* * *

A while later they were walking back towards their TARDISes when Archie brought up a detail she'd been thinking about. "So, tomorrow, before we do the ceremony—could we go talk to Lucille? We can decide exactly what point in time would be best, but I want her to know what's happened. And—I'd love for her to come for the ceremony if she's willing." Another thought occurred to her. "You know, I'll still want to go back and properly pack up my house there and sell it. I don't want Janice to be worrying about me. Nor do I want it to appear that Christine Madison disappeared under suspicious circumstances. We'll have to come up with some sort of cover story." Archie said as they walked towards their timeships.

The Doctor was so quiet she wasn't sure if he'd heard her. By the look on his face, he was definitely preoccupied by something.

"What's wrong, Doc? Did you hear me?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing's wrong. I'm sorry, I heard you. We'll go talk to Lucille tomorrow, yes. I was just thinking…"

"About?"

He sighed, frowned, and with downcast eyes, made his admission. "I was just thinking about how much Donna would love to be there tomorrow."

The Archivist gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I know you miss her, Doctor. Maybe one day we'll discover a way to help her have her memories back."

The Doctor smiled. "You're sweet to say that."

"I'm not just being sweet. With the two of us working together, we're unstoppable. We'll come up with something. Maybe one day she can travel along with us again."

"It's a nice dream, Arch. Thank you for a small dose of hope," he said as he lifted her hand and kissed it. "Now, my love, it's time for us both to get some rest. You've had a very big, very long day."

"So have you. You promise you're really going to rest, too?"

"Promise. And I've kept every promise to you since you were Christine. All those times you made me promise not to skip forward in time to visit you again. I followed the rules every single , except the one where I looked at your near future even though you didn't want to know. It's how I found out about your family. "

"And you came running back to me," she said, a fond smile at remembering how much it had helped her healing to have the Doctor there after the first year of deep grief she'd experienced.

"As fast and as soon as the TARDIS would let me. I'm so glad I did."

"Me too."

They'd made it to their ships and were standing in front of Libby. He leaned forward and gave her a slow, deep kiss for a moment before pulling back just a few inches, his hand lingering on her cheek as he whispered, "This time tomorrow, you'll be my wife, Telana. For now, I'll dream of everything our future holds. Good night."

"Good night..Theta."

As she stepped into her ship and closed the doors behind her, the Archivist leaned against them thoughtfully. She'd give anything to be able to make the Doctor's wish come true—to have Donna at their wedding. But it was a tall order, and one she wasn't sure she could fill. But, in the mean time, they'd promised each other rest, and that's what she was going to do.


	17. Chapter 17: A Message

**_(The following scene begins an altered version of the two-part episode 'End of Time'. For the sake of my story line, the Doctor finds Christine (aka, the Archivist) after the Waters of Mars, however, the Planet of the Dead did not occur in this storyline.)_**

The next morning, the Doctor and the Archivist stepped back onto their separate ships and began the docking procedure to join them together again. Their stop this morning would be to upstate New York, just a few days after they'd left before.

Once the docking process was completed, Archie stepped back onto the Doctor's TARDIS through the new doorway in their control rooms. When she did, first, she saw the Doctor at this console. But it was what was behind him that caught her attention.

"Doctor!" she called out.

He looked up immediately, catching the urgency in her voice. She was staring behind him so he turned that direction as well.

There, standing in the control room of the TARDIS was Ood Sigma.

"What? Ood Sigma, what are you doing here?"

"The Doctor must return to Ood Sphere. We have a message we must deliver."

"Can't you just tell me here? Now?"

"No."

"Can't it wait? You see, we're—"

"It cannot wait. They are coming. We must deliver our message. You must see the dreams."

"Dreams?" The Doctor's brow furrowed as he tried to understand the cryptic message.

"Doctor," Archie whispered as she stepped up beside him, still staring at the Ood. She took his hand and their fingers intertwined almost instinctively.

The Doctor looked between Archie and Ood Sigma. "I promise, Sigma—we'll come to you soon. It's just—this is the Archivist and she—well, we're to be married today, and I'm not letting anyone's bad dreams get in the way of that."

"Your union will be destroyed as will everything in existence."

The Doctor's somewhat flippant expression turned to one of absolute horror. "What does _that_ mean?!" But as he barked out his question, Ood Sigma disappeared.

"Doctor," the Archivist spoke in a hushed, serious tone. "I think our decision has been made for us. New York—and our marriage—will have to wait."

"Then, it's to the Ood Sphere for us," the Doctor said with wide eyes before blowing out a long breath. "Blimey, I wasn't expecting that one."

"I know that you're worried because of what the Ood said the last time you were there. About your song. But perhaps it wasn't a death sentence, Doctor. Perhaps it wasn't what you're expecting."

"Or maybe it was, Arch—maybe it was and I've found you only to regenerate, or worse, die—"

"But I'm here now, Doctor—and perhaps the Ood didn't see that. Maybe things have changed."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to know."

* * *

The police box door creaked open, as it often did. The Archivist stepped out right behind the Doctor. Standing before them was Ood Sigma, this time in the flesh instead of an apparition of their mind.

"Ah, there you are. So, where were we? You summoned us, and here we are."

"Thank you for coming, Doctor." The Ood turned to the Archivist. "Your song, Archivist, is new, yet old. The Ood welcome you."

"About that, Sigma—the last time I was here, you said my song would be ending soon. I'm in no hurry for that. Have things changed—now that Archie is here. Have things changed?"

Ood Sigma looked between the two Time Lords before stating, "It is unclear."

"Unclear? What kind of answer is that?" The Doctor asked impatiently.

"Doctor, calm down. The Ood aren't all knowing." She then turned to Sigma. "Please, Sigma—tell us why you've brought us here."

"You will come with me."

As they walked along, the Doctor attempted to continue conversation with Sigma. "So how old are you now, Ood Sigma?" He then stops as he sees the Ood city. "Ah. Magnificent. That is splendid. You've achieved all this in how long?"

Sigma answered. "One hundred years."

The Doctor frowned. "Then we've got a problem. Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call me. Reaching all the way back to the twenty first century. Something is accelerating your species way beyond normal."

Sigma answered with his own mystery. "And the Mind of the Ood is troubled."

"Why, what's happened?" the Archivist asked.

"Every night we have bad dreams."

He said no more, but led them down a snowy hill towards an ice cave. When they entered they immediately saw a group of Ood sitting in a circle.

The Elder Ood spoke. "Returning, returning, returning, it is slowly returning through the dark and the fire and the blood. Always returning, returning to this world. It is returning, and he is returning, and they are returning, but too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

Sigma looked to the two Time Lords, "Sit with the Elder of the Ood and share the dreaming."

They obeyed and sat down in the empty space left between Ood in the circle.

The Ood all spoke at once now. "You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join."

The Doctor and the Archivist both links hands with the Ood and at the same time, saw the laughing face that had been haunting their dreams. Both gasped as they heard the maniacal laugh.

"He comes to us every night. I think all the peoples of the universe dream of him now," the Elder Ood said.

"That man is dead," the Doctor said sternly. The Archivist heard the tinge of fear and regret in his voice.

The Elder spoke again. "There is yet more. Join us. Events are taking shape. So many years ago, and yet changing the now. There is a man—"

They heard the Master's laugh again, but in their minds, saw Wilf sitting at a table in his house, alone, a grimace on his face.

"So scared," the Elder said.

The Archivist spoke before the Doctor could, though their thoughts were one in the same. "Wilfrid, is he all right?"

Then, another thought made the Doctor's blood run cold. "What about Donna, is she safe?"

"The lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth. Even now, the king is in his Counting house."

They then saw images of a black man and his daughter in their minds.

"I don't know who they are."

"And there is another. The most lonely of all, lost and forgotten."

They then saw a woman in a cage. A woman the Doctor recognized.

"The Master's wife," the Doctor answered.

"We see so much, but understand little. The woman in the cage, who is she?" Ood Sigma asked.

"She was—It wasn't her fault, she was—The Master, he's a Time Lord, like me. I can show you." The Doctor shows the Ood images of the Master from the times during the Year that Never Was. "The Master took the name of Saxon. He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her. She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth. I reversed everything he'd done so it never even happened, but Lucy Saxon remembered. I held him in my arms. I burnt his body. The Master is dead."

"And yet, you did not see," the Elder Ood said.

"What's that?" the Doctor frowned as they showed him the same image of the burning pyre. They heard the Master's laugh again before seeing a signet ring dropping from the fire and a woman pick it up.

"Part of him survived. I—we have to go!

"But something more is happening, Doctor. The Master is part of a greater design, because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark. The Ood have gained this power to see through time, because time is bleeding. Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil, and these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future, and the present, and the past.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor questioned.

"This is what we have seen, Doctor. The darkness heralds only one thing," the Elder Ood said first.

Then all the Ood spoke together, "The end of time itself."

They heard the Master's laugh one last time before the Doctor dropped their hands and jumped up, running out of the cave.

"Events that have happened are happening now," the Elder Ood spoke as the Archivist jumped up to run after the Doctor.

"In the end, the Archivist will restore the future Temple."

She spun around and frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The future Temple will be restored," the Ood called out together.

"I'm—I'm sorry, I have to go—" she said as she turned back to run after the Doctor.

Just as she exited the cave, she almost ran right into the Doctor, who had turned back to get her. "Come on, we have to go, _now_!" he shouted as he took her hand and pulled her along with him. Luckily, she was fast, almost faster than him, as they returned to the TARDIS and took flight.

"Doctor! Doctor, where are we going?"

"Broadfell Prison. We've got to get to Lucy Saxon before anyone else does."

A few moments later they were running out of the TARDIS—and right into the ruined shell of the prison.

"We're too late," the Doctor whispered.


	18. Chapter 18: The Voice in My Heat

They took a few minutes to examine the rubble before getting back onto the ship. The Doctor began scanning, and it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He was quiet, too quiet, by the Archivist's summation.

"Doctor, what's our next step?"

"I find the Master and I see what abomination he's become."

"And me?"

"You?" He looked up. "You're not going anywhere. You stay here, on the TARDISes. You stay safe and far away from danger. I won't lose you."

Her eyes went wide. "Excuse me? You want me to _hide_?"

"Yes! Yes _Telana_, that's exactly what I want you to do! Because if he finds out you're alive, he'll—he'll do anything he can to hurt me—and if he knows you're alive, there's no telling what he'll do."

"I _will not_ hide away and have you face him alone, Theta! Never again! We do this _together_, remember!"

"And if he kills you? Then there's no _together_, is there? There'll be no us! There'll be me, alone, again!"

"If you're going to try and make me hide away, then there's no us, anyway, Doctor. Because I'll not hide away every time we face danger. I am a Time Lady of Gallifrey, Doctor, and I will _not_ be hidden in a closet simply because you've been around humans so much that you've picked up on their patriarchal tendencies. You said it yourself, sir, I am _at least_ your equal, if not your superior, in _many_ ways."

It seemed the Doctor had been properly shamed. He leaned against the console, arms spread wide and head hanging between his shoulders. "I just—I just don't want to lose you, Telana."

The Archivist sighed and came to his side, cupping his cheek with her palm and turning his face towards her own. "And I don't want to lose you either, Doctor. Now, I know you found him. Land the TARDIS a safe distance away. We'll split up and we'll find him."

She used their touch to open a wider telepathic bond with him. _And, we'll communicate this way so that we don't alert him to our presence. _She added silently.

* * *

A little later, the Doctor stood on a small cliff and sniffed deeply. They'd split up, even though he hated the idea. He either wanted her far away in safety, or by his side. Not wandering around this wasteland.

Suddenly he heard a beating. A rhythm of four beats and a rest. As soon as he heard it, he started running through piles of girders on the dockside.

_I heard it. Where is he?_ Her voice rang out in his head.

_Just stay back. I'll find him._

_Doctor_! She shouted telepathically.

He stayed silent. She'd be mad. He knew it. But he wasn't leading her to him, or visa versa. Suddenly, as he came around a corner he saw him. Standing on a pile of debris. They stared at each other only a moment before the Master leapt into the air and out of sight. The Doctor gave chase, running the direction he'd jumped. Moment's later, he found him again, waiting on a pile of girders. A bizarre flash and the Doctor saw his skeleton.

"Please, let me help. You're burning up your own life force."

The Master ran away again, and the Doctor gave chase. But this time, when he came around the corner, it wasn't the Master before him but—

Wilf. And with him, a crew of other elderly people.

* * *

At that moment, the Archivist walked slowly between piles of stone and rubble. She saw him before she heard him in her mind.

"I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore. Coming back to life does that to you. But you—you _are_ a surprise."

He turned towards her, and the grin on his face made her blood run cold.

She glanced around, wondering where the Doctor was. But since he'd stopped communicating with her, she felt the need to stay quiet and do this on her own.

He saw her glances, and frowned. "Oh, no. No, no. Please tell me it's not true. You're looking for him, aren't you? Hundreds of years later and you're still chasing after him? Still pining away for him?"

She clenched her jaw tight a moment. And in that moment, she made a decision. She chose to believe. Not in the Master. But in the Doctor—her Doctor.

_Doctor. He's here._

_Where are you? What is he saying? Telana—no matter what he says, remember—I love you. _

_I know. I know, Doctor._

_Don't do anything foolish, Arch. I'm coming._

"Well? What is it, Archivist?" He stepped closer. "What promises has he made to you?" And even closer. "Whatever he offers you, I can offer you more."

She finally chose to speak, and she thanked whatever gods existed for the strength in her voice at that moment. "What he offers, you could never give me."

Finally, he steps up right beside her and whispers in her ear. "Whatever he offers you—it's not real. You know that. He never cared about you. And he doesn't now. He'll leave you out to dry just like all his other playthings. One day you'll be just another of his memories—just like before. It's not too late, Archie—you can come with me. We can have _everything_. Aren't you hungry?"

Her whole body trembled, but she tried to remain resolute. She held her head high, swallowed hard, and spoke. "No more, Master. I will not listen to your voice in my head. I defy you and I banish you from my mind. Leave. Me. Alone."

His jaw clenched as he turned to look at her in disgust. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you!"

And with that he jumped away, leaving her a trembling, heaving mess.

* * *

A few moments later, the Doctor came running to the top of a pile of stone and spotted her. "Arch!" he called out as he slid down the side towards her, finally coming to a rest at her knees. She was on the ground, on her knees, weeping.

"Arch, oh Arch—what has he done to you? What did he say?" He cupped her cheeks with his palms and her eyes closed at the touch.

"Theta—" she sobbed before wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly. "Please, just please—swear to me—promise me you aren't going to leave me. Promise me you're going to stay. Promise me you really care."

"Telana," he whispered before pulling her into a kiss. As he kissed her, he projected every loving thought, every image, every reminder he could of their time together since he came upon her as Christine.

"Doctor? Doctor!" A voice called out from the other side of the stone pile.

The Doctor pulled away from her and sighed. "We've got company. An old friend. He's found me. I can't figure out how, but he's found me."

"Who?" she said as she wiped at her cheeks, recovering as best she could from the inner turmoil.

"Wilfred Mott."

"Wilf?" She knew him from his memories. "Donna's grandfather?"

"One in the same."

"Doctor, there you are! You found your friend!"

"Yes, yes, Wilf. I found her. Wilfred Mott, may I introduce you to The Archivist."

Wilf took her hand and bowed to kiss her knuckles, which made the Archvist grin. "My lady, it is an honor to meet you."

"So the Doctor has had enough time to tell you a bit of my history."

"You're from the same place as his Lordship."

"That, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Wilf."

"Wilf insists on taking us to lunch," the Doctor explained.

The Archivist looked in the direction the Master had gone, then back to the Doctor in question.

The Doctor nodded. "I know—but—Wilf says it's important and, after that vision the Ood gave us—I think we should listen."

Archie nodded in approval and he took her hand, following along with Wilf.

* * *

It was an interesting bus trip later when finally the Doctor, the Archivist, and Wilf were dropped off in town.

"Wilf, what's so special about this place? We passed fifteen cafes on the way."

The old man didn't answer, but led the way in. A few minutes later they were settled in at a table.

"Oh, we had some good times, didn't we though? I mean, all those ATMOS things, and planets in the sky, and me with that paint gun." The old man chuckled, and then just as quickly, grew serious. "I keep seeing things, Doctor. This face at night."

That got the attention of both Time Lords.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked as he examined Wilf closely.

Wilf gave him a strange look. "I"m Wilfred Mott."

"No. People have waited hundreds of years to find me. One of them sits at this table with us," he said, nodding towards the Archivist. "And then you manage it in a few hours."

"Well, I'm just lucky I suppose."

"No, we keep on meeting, Wilf. Over and over again like something's still connecting us."

"What's so important about me?" Wilf asked.

"Exactly. Why you?" the Doctor asked.

The Archivist elbowed the Doctor. Sometimes he could be so rude. Thankfully, Wilf hadn't noticed his comment or her action—he was distracted by something outside.

"What?" the Doctor asks, then follows his line of sight. Outside Donna is on the street getting out of her car.

"I'm sorry, but I had to. Look, can't you make her better?"

"Stop it." The Doctor said sternly. But Archie could hear the heartbreak in his voice.

"No, but you're so clever. Can't you bring her memory back? Look, just go to her now. Go on, just run across the street. Go up and say hello."

"If she ever remembers me, her mind will burn, and she will die." The Doctor had rehearsed in in his mind over and over again. He'd repeated it to himself over and over again.

The Archivist was less than convinced. But she felt it would do no good to either man to bring it up at this moment.

"Don't you touch this car!" Donna yells out at the traffic warden.

The Doctor chuckled. "She's not changed."

"Nah," Wilf laughed out in agreement. "Oh, there he is." A dark-skinned man approached the car. "Shaun Temple. They're engaged. Getting married in the spring."

"Another wedding," the Doctor said wistfully.

"Yeah."

"What did you say his name was?" the Archivist finally spoke up.

"Shaun Temple—why?"

"Hold on, she's not going to be called Noble-Temple? That sounds like a tourist spot." The Doctor scoffed.

"No, it's Temple-Noble."

"Temple-Noble," the Archvist mumbled.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

She shook her head. "Just something the Ood said to me. It's nothing, I'm sure."

He nodded, and turned back to Wilf. "Is she happy? Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's sweet enough. He's a bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, she's earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny little flat. And then sometimes, I see this look on he face, like she's so sad, but she can't remember why."

The Doctor looked at the couple as they loaded the car. "She's got him."

"She's making do," Wilf added.

"Aren't we all."

"Yeah, how about you? Look at you, you've seemed to have found a replacement just fine."

The Archivist was shocked and ashamed at the same time. The Doctor came to her defense. "Wilf, no. It's not like that. There's no replacing Donna Noble, I assure you. She was my best friend. I traveled alone for quite some time. I thought it was better. But I did some things. It went wrong. I—," the Doctor started to cry.

"Oh, my word. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken so harshly."

"Wilf, the Doctor and I have known each other since we were children. We lost touch for quite some time. Then, by chance, he found me again in quite remarkable circumstances that neither of us was expecting. I didn't even know who I was then. It's a long story, but it took some time before I regained my memory and we realized how we'd known each other."

"The Archivist and I are to be married as well, Wilf. It was going to be happening on this day, for us, before we were called to this place and time."

"She should be there. To see that," Wilf said as they watched Donna and Shaun drive away. "She'd love to know you're happy, Doctor."

The Doctor cleared his throat and slid out of the booth. "I'm, uh, I'm just going to excuse myself a moment. Get some fresh air."

Wilf watched him walk away.

"He missed her a great deal, Wilf," the Archivist spoke up.

"Does that make things—awkward—between you?"

"Nothing of the sort. Donna and the Doctor had a very special friendship, but that's what it was, Wilf—friendship. He wants Donna to find happiness, and right now, he just can't see how that can be with him."

"What about you, ma'am. You're a Time Lord, just like him. Can you see a way around what's happened?"

The Archivist thought a moment, she wanted to be careful of her words. She didn't want to give false hope. But deep in her soul she believed there must be a way to save Donna Noble without having to keep her memories hidden. Then, there was what the Ood said—what she now believed had to do with Donna Noble—the future Temple. "I believe, Wilf, that there maybe some bit of technology, one day, that we find that can help Donna. But I don't know when, where, or how that will happen. So I can't make promises, and I can't say for sure it will happen. But it's a great big universe out there, with all sorts of dimensions and realities and—well, let's just say, my mind is open to the possibility."

"Well, ma'am, I'll take that. Thank you, very much."


	19. Chapter 19: Another Path

"Doctor, I think I should stay behind this time," the Archivist said as they walked down the sidewalk. Eventually they'd need to take public transportation to get closer to the TARDIS. She knew he wanted to go back to the wasteland and find the Master.

"Are you sure? We could stay together this time. I won't let him say those things to you ever again."

"It's not that. Well, I can't say that isn't part of it. But—if things are going to be as bad as the Ood say, perhaps it'd be best for us to split up. I thought I could keep an eye on things from Torchwood, with Jack and Martha."

The Doctor examined her face, as if he were looking for something, before he nodded. "Alright. We'll split up. But I think we should separate the TARDISes again so that you have Libby if you need it. If something goes really wrong."

"Don't say that."

"I don't want to, but it's true. You know it."

She sighed. "I do."

"Let's go."

* * *

When Libby materialized at the Torchwood Hub, she was back to pretending to be a miniature version of the tower. The Archivist was out her door and running for the entrance to the hub as quickly as possible. She ran past Ianto Jones in the faux storefront.

"Hello Ianto! Sorry, in a bit of a rush!"

The man looked up from his magazine and shook his head. "She's already getting to be just like the rest of them. Always in a rush."

She ran through the round entrance door as it rotated open, already talking to Jack, who'd been alerted to her pending entry.

"Jack, I need records of all technology that you've got stashed away around here."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he said as he came hopping down the stairs.

"You heard me, Jack. I know you keep alien tech all over this place. I can sense it and I can scan for it. But you've got detailed records in your computer system."

"Why do you need to know what we have?"

"Because I need a very specific piece of tech, or at least one that can do a very specific thing."

"What's that?" He asked.

She finally stopped her pacing and turned to him. "I need to save Donna Noble. Or at least I'm _going_ to need to."

"What makes you think we have something here that can help you do that?"

The Archivist finally deflated a bit, her shoulders dropping. "All I know, Jack, is that the Ood told me _I_ was going to save Donna Noble. At least I'm just about certain that's what they were telling me. They're not exactly specific and sometimes speak in riddles. But it sure did seem like it's going to happen sooner than later as they were very urgent about everything they told us. And barring some sudden discovery, the tech you have here is all I can think to search through."

Jack eyed her a moment before nodding and reaching out to grab a monitor, swinging it around to her. "The database is at your disposal, ma'am."

"Jack, are you sure—" Gwen started to argue.

"Gwen! I trust her. And if she's trying to save Donna Noble then we're going to help her in any way we can. That woman saved the entirety of the universe. The least we can do is try to allow her to remember it."

* * *

It had been at least an hour of searching through databanks, talking through possibilities with Jack, and searching more, when the Archivist jumped up out of her seat.

"Jack! Jack!" she yelled.

The man rushed out of his office upstairs. "What? What is it?"

"What is this?" she called out, pointing to the screen.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Archivist," he yelled back as he ran down the stairs.

"Nanogenes. Nanobots. Recovered from a Chula ambulance."

"Holy—," Jack called out as he arrived by her side. "I'd forgotten about those. That was the first time I met the Doctor, and—"

"Jack! I really would love to hear the full story sometime. But right now, I need the abbreviated version. I've read the specs on the screen. Do you think they could do it?"

"Her mother—Donna's, I mean—she's still alive?"

"Oh yes, very much alive."

"Then—it might just work. The Doctor and I both saw it happen - the nanogenes took a little boy that had mistakenly been turned into—well—a monster of sorts. When given the proper template—his mother—they turned him back into the little boy he was supposed to be. They worked off the DNA template provided by the mother."

The Archivist, who had been bent over to look at the screen, stood up straight and turned to Jack. "Jack, I need those nanogenes."

* * *

Jack had just retrieved the nanogenes from storage, handing the container to the Archivist, when an alarm went off. They both rushed towards the main room where Gwen was yelling.

"We've got readings off the chart of some type of alien technology in use!"

It was the last words she'd speak in her own voice for some time. Suddenly, she and Jack both were just standing there, staring ahead. Then there heads started shaking. Whatever it was, the Archivist knew better than to stand around and wait to see what it was. She ran—as fast as she could, towards the lift, flipping out her sonic screwdriver as she knelt down on top of the square block to steady herself at the speed at which it started to rise. She looked down as she almost reached the top and saw their hair starting to turn blonde, their faces changing.

She was in her TARDIS and dematerialized before anyone—whoever they were—noticed.

But it was only once she had found a place near Chiswick to land that she felt was adequately hidden that she tuned in to the earth news stations.

Terror struck her heart. Every station. Every where. Everyone—was the Master.

She thought for a few moments—wondering where the Doctor was. She attempted to reach out to sense him to no avail. She sighed. If only they'd completed their marriage ceremony before this and had the opportunity to fully bond, she'd have a much better chance of sensing him and communicating with him from further away. As it was now, she had no way of confirming where he was or if he was okay.

As to where he was, however, she didn't have to guess. She'd gotten a look at the screen Gwen had been looking at. The location of the spike in alien technology use was Naismith Mansion. If she had to bet, she'd say that was where the Doctor was—and the Master.

One part of her wanted desperately to go there now. But something told her it wasn't her time yet. She needed to be here. With Donna. Or at least watching out for her.

After a few more moments of planning, she took a look at the screen to see view around her TARDIS. It appeared clear, so she grabbed the nanogene container from below the console and walked to the exit, taking a deep breath before quietly exiting. It took some stealth sneaking, but she managed to make it to the alleyway by the Noble-Mott residence.

If she was right, and she hoped she was—she and the Doctor were safe from whatever had happened. Now it was time to find out if Donna was safe, too, as she hoped. Just as she was about to attempt to sneak to a window to look in, Donna came running into the alleyway, on her phone. She was talking to Wilf—which meant he wasn't at home. And if she was talking to him, it meant he was safe to. The only way that was possible is if he was with the Doctor and somehow the Doctor had protected him. Which meant—the Doctor must still be alive. She breathed one quick sigh of relief before returning to alert as she listened to Donna.

_Oh, no, _she thought to herself. Donna was remembering. Seeing her mother and fiance turn into the Master had triggered memories of her time with the Doctor, of the aliens she'd seen. The Archivist wished she could fix her now, but the only way was with her mother's help, and right now her mother was the Master. And so were her neighbors, apparently—as they were very quickly bearing down on Donna's—and her own—position.

"It hurts! My head. It keeps getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter!" She yelled out before a golden burst of energy surged through her, traveling along the alleyway and knocking down the Master copies that had been approaching.

She checked that it was safe before running out and checking on Donna. She still had a pulse, still breathing. Finally, the Archivist took another breath. Donna was alive. She picked up the woman, holding tight to the handle of the nanogene container, and carried her into the bushes to hide a bit longer. She could only hope that sooner than later, the Doctor would find a way to reverse the Master's work, returning the human race back to normal. Not only was it the only way she could save Donna—if the whole planet remained a race of Masters, there was no way she could hide out forever. She'd have to leave—take Donna with her and put her in stasis. Find a way to get to the Doctor. Her mind was still whirring with the possibilities of what she might have to do very soon when she heard a voice calling out.

"Donna? Donna! Donna!"

That wasn't the Master's voice—that was Shaun Temple! The Archivist stepped out of the bushes. "She's here! Just here! I carried her to safety!" She stepped back into the bushes and picked up Donna and the nanogene container, just in time for the whole earth to start shaking. Then, as she stepped back out, she saw Sylvia Noble and Shaun Temple staring up at the sky. She looked up and saw what they were looking at.

A huge red planet was coming into orbit. "Oh no—oh no, no, no—" The Archivist gasped out. She recognized that planet. She'd recognize it anywhere.

Gallifrey.

She then turned to Sylvia Noble.

Excuse me, Mrs. Noble? I'm sorry, but I don't have much time for introductions. I am the Archivist. I am a friend of the Doctor, and of your father. Can we please get your daughter inside?"

"Wh-what? A friend of the Doctor?"

"What Doctor? Whose Doctor are you a friend of?"

"Not _a_ Doctor, Shaun—_the_ Doctor?" Sylvia barked out.

"Who is _the Doctor_?" Shaun asked, exasperated.

"Come on, let's get her inside," Sylvia said, ushering the Archivist into the house.

Only after the Archivist set Donna Noble down on the couch, then gingerly rested the nanogene container on the floor by it, did she turn and give further explanation.

"Mrs. Noble—Sylvia—I believe I have a way to save your daughter. Not just now—she's fine now. But only the same kind of fine she's been these last few months. If I'm correct, she'll wake back up and she'll still not remember anything of how she spent the last several years."

"The doctors say she may never remember that time," Shaun tried to explain, thinking he knew what was going on.

"Shaun, you don't understand!" Sylvia yelled at the man.

"Sylvia, if I may," the Archivist said calmly before turning to Shaun. "Shaun, in better circumstances, were there not a planet hanging over our head, I'd take my time with this explanation. But if your fiancee wakes back up to see that planet, she might start to remember again, and if she does—this time it could be catastrophic for her. So, I'm cutting to the chase. Your fiancee spent several years of her life traveling with an alien called the Doctor. He's a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, and so am I." Sylvia gasped at that fact, but the Archivist continued. "We look just like you, we even sometimes sound just like you. Though I've spent more time in America than England so my voice is a tad bit different. At any rate—your fiancee spent several years traveling with the Doctor. Something happened—too much to explain right now—and she had to have her memories blocked so that a part of her body and mind that had become Time Lord wouldn't make her body burn up."

"That's—that's madness! Sylvia, tell her that's madness!"

"It may seem like madness, Shaun—but it's true." Sylvia said to Shaun before turning quickly to the Archivist. "But young lady, you say you have a way to save my daughter?"

"Ma'am—I believe I've found a way to allow your daughter to both retain her memories, and return her DNA to its normal human state. The best of both worlds. Everything you and the Doctor want. She can remember the remarkable things she's done with the Doctor, no longer be under threat of death every time something alien might occur—"

"And what about me?" Shaun said as he collapsed into a chair, his brain having finally caught up with everything she was saying. "Where does that leave me?"

The Archivist knelt down in front of him. "Shaun, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that love can endure all things. If you and Donna love each other, her memories won't change that. Things will change, but she'll still love you. But we _have_ to do this, Shaun. It's the only way any of us can no longer live in fear that if the wrong thing is said, if she sees or hears the wrong thing, that she won't burn up and die."

"What do you need to do, then? To save her?" Sylvia asked.

The Archivist stepped back over to the couch and picked up the nanogene container. "I'll need you to hold your daughter. Then, I release these nanogenes—they'll see that something is wrong with Donna, and they'll see that you are her mother—the template for her DNA. They _should_ then begin rewriting her DNA back to human. I can then unblock the memories that the Doctor had to shield in order for her to live."

"That seems both very simple and very complicated," Sylvia said as she looked down at her daughter.

"That sums it up rather correctly, ma'am. But it's the only thing I've got right now, and I've got to do this for her—and for the Doctor."

"Who _are_ you?" Sylvia asked, looking at the woman, in awe of her passionate desire to help even though as far as she knew, she had never met her daughter.

"I, Mrs. Noble, am the betrothed of the Doctor of Gallifrey. I've loved him since we were just children, at the Academy on Gallifrey. And after hundreds of years we found each other and he's discovered that he cares just as deeply for me. And the woman on that couch is his best friend—the woman who saved him time and time again. The woman who saved all of reality itself. And while he is off trying to save reality with only your father to help—this—this is what I can do. I can save the woman who saved him. And maybe, just maybe—his wish can come true and she can be there for our wedding day."

Tears were streaming down the Archivist's cheeks as she finished. Sylvia was speechless for only a moment longer before she nodded. "Well, then—I believe we have work to do."

The Archivist smiled, wiped the tears away, and helped Sylvia by lifting Donna up so that she could sit just under her, holding her so that her head rested on her shoulder and her body sat in her lap.

"Mrs. Noble—"

"Please, call me Sylvia."

"Alright then—Sylvia—when I open the container the nanogenes will fly out, they're little golden sparkly things. Imagine them a bit like—fairy dust."

"Fairy dust?"

"From Tinkerbell?" The Archivist tried to explain. "Nevermind. Anyway, little golden sparkly things. They'll swirl around you for a moment, and while I know it might be frightening, it's important to let them do their work. They're learning your DNA. Then, hopefully, they'll surround Donna and do the work we need them to do to restore her mind and body to fully human."

"Alright, just do it." Sylvia said resolutely, holding her daughter's body tight to her chest.

The Archivist unscrewed the lid of the container and opened it. Just as she'd predicted, hundreds of little golden lights, microscopic nanogenes, swirled up out of the container. First, they flew around Donna, noticing her bodies 'incorrect' state. Then, they flew to Sylvia, who whimpered.

"It's okay Sylvia," the Archivist soothed. "Just close your eyes and let them do their work."

After a few moments of swirling around Sylvia, they then surrounded both women for a moment, then moved on to Donna.

"Yes, yes, that's right. She's the mother. She's the daughter. Make her like her mother—human—all human. Come on, you can do it!"

After a few minutes in which the nanogenes seemed to swirl between Donna's head and her torso, they floated up into the air. The Archivist held the container up and pushed a button on the side, calling the genes back to their resting place. She screwed the lid back on tight and set it down on the floor before quickly stepping over to the women's side and kneeling down at the women's side—just in time for Donna Noble to start to awaken.

"Wh—what's going on?" Donna said in a raspy voice.

"Donna, I'm a friend of your grandfathers—and of the Doctor's."

"Doctor? Doctor who?" she asked, confused.

The Archivist smirked. "Why don't I answer that question for you?"

She held her hands out and rested them on Donna's temples, closing her eyes. Donna's instinctively closed as well, then the Archivist put her into a sleep state as she worked. She traveled through her mind to find that indeed, she had been successfully restored to a human state. She began proverbially unlocking one door after another so that Donna could now access several years worth of her memories of traveling with the Doctor. To her mother and friends on Earth, it had been two years of lost memories, but in reality, Donna had traveled much more than that with the Doctor It only seemed like that long because of when she'd left and returned to her loved ones.

After several minutes of Sylvia and Shaun watching silently, the Archivist finally opened her own eyes back up and smiled up at Sylvia.

"There we are. All back to normal."

"Really?" Sylvia gasped. "Just like that?"

The Archivist nodded. "Well, it's a bit more complicated than it may have seemed. But explaining to you how a Time Lord does telepathic work is a bit outside what we have time for right now."

"But that's—that's amazing. Why is she still sleeping?"

"I gave her a bit of a a mind-whammy so she'd rest a bit. She'll only sleep a few more minutes." The Archivist turned to Shaun. "Shaun, would you mind preparing some tea? I'm sure when she wakes up she'll need a cup. Something strong."

"Y-yes, of course."

Once the man had left the room, the Archivist turned back to Sylvia, looking a bit more serious. "Sylvia, you're not going to like what I'm going to tell you next."

Sylvia frowned. "You said everything was fine. You said she'd be back to normal, just with her memories."

"Oh yes, yes, that is 100 percent true. And that is exactly why I will need her to come with me."

Sylvia gasped."What?"

"That planet up in the sky is very very bad. And I have to go help the Doctor. And I'm going to need all the help I can get. Including your daughter. She's saved reality before, and I'm afraid I may need her help to do it again."

Just then, Donna Noble started to move. Her eyes slowly opened to see her mother and she frowned. "Mum? Why am I in your lap?" She said, sitting up quickly and sliding to sit next to her mother. "Oi, I've got a headache! What am I doing at home? Where's the Doctor?" She looked at the Archivist, then froze. "Who are you? Wait—the Doctor." Just then, Shaun walked in with a cup of tea and she looked at him, her mind processing the information that had returned. "Shaun."

Her brain was starting to connect things that hadn't been connected in quite some time. Suddenly, she stood up. "That bloody idiot! He took my memories away! Why I could—!"

"Donna!" Sylvia yelled to stop her daughter. "The Doctor took your memories because it was the only way to keep you alive at the time. And now—this is—"

The Archivist looked at Sylvia and shook her head. There was no time to explain exactly who she was in depth, and Donna would want a clear explanation.

Sylvia continued. "This is a friend of the Doctor's, and she's come back at his request, having found a way to save you. You're human again, and you have your memories."

Shaun approached slowly, holding out the cup of tea to Donna. She took it and took a quick gulp. "Thank you, love."

The Archivist smiled at Shaun. It was a small sign, but a good one.

"So, who are you?" Donna asked again.

"Donna, I promise I will explain that to you. But I'm going to have to explain on the way. You see, the planet—all of reality is in danger—again."

"Surely it's not the Daleks again," Donna said.

"No, even worse."

Donna's eyes went wide. "Worse than the Daleks?"

The Archivist nodded. "Yes. And I'm afraid the Doctor is in grave danger. And I need your help."

Shaun finally spoke up. "But wait, you've just fixed her and now you're going to take her and put her in danger again! You're going to take her away, but you said—"

"Shaun!" Donna interrupted. "Love, I promise—I promise I'll be back. I'll come back to you and we'll talk about everything. I know you have so many questions. I promise, I'll come back and I'll bring the Doctor and we'll talk about everything. We'll talk about all those missing memories that I couldn't share with you because I didn't remember them." She then leaned in and kissed him.

The Archivist was thrilled. At least one thing had gone right today. Now perhaps they could sort out the rest of this mess.

"I hate to break things up, but we really do need to get going."


	20. Chapter 20: Everybody LivesAlmost

As Donna and the Archivist ran out of the house, the Time Lord began her explanation. "This is going to create more questions than we may have time to answer now, Donna—but if there's one thing I've learned from the Doctor it's that you are a very fast study and should be able to keep up."

"Well, thank you very much. First of all, where are we going?"

"To my TARDIS."

"_Your TARDIS?"_

"Yes. I'm a Time Lord—Time Lady—whatever your preference. Just like the Doctor."

"He was alone. The Master died."

"Not exactly true. You remember him telling you about the Chameleon Arch?"

"Yeah, the thing that makes a Time Lord think he's a human."

"Yup."

"You? How long?"

"Twenty years."

"Blimey."

"So, my name is the Archivist. I grew up with the Doctor and the Master on Gallifrey. I was very close to the Doctor but as we grew older, we grew apart, he left Gallifrey for a very long time. We lost touch. Then, not too long after he had to leave you here, he found me. We spent several months getting to know each other, me a human, him a Time Lord, before we discovered my fob watch and I became Time Lord again. Suddenly he knew me, I knew him, in a whole different way."

"You love him, don't you?"

The Archivist stopped jogging and turned to her. "What?"

"You love him. I can tell the way you talk. Does he love you?"

The Archivist blushed. "Um, yes—actually—he does. I was planning on warming you up to all that…"

Donna smiled. "So, he finally found someone. I mean _really_ found someone. It's about time."

They made it to Libby, which Donna was suitably impressed by. "Now _this_ looks more like a timeship! I like her!"

The Archivist grinned. "Thank you." She opened the ship and allowed Donna to walk in first. "Meet Libby. Short for Library. The books you see here in the control room represent only a drop in the bucket compared to what's held elsewhere in the ship. For now, that's all the time we have for introductions. Time to get down to real business. First, we're going to get Jack and Martha. I need all the companions with prior knowledge that we can get. Especially this sort of prior knowledge. The Master is involved in this and I'm not sure what state things will be in when we arrive at Naismith Mansion. It appears he's called back the Time Lord and Gallifrey. That's the big red planet up in the sky right now. I don't know what we're going to need to do when we get there, because I have no way of communicating with the Doctor right now."

* * *

To say that Jack and Gwen were a bit alarmed when the miniature Torchwood tower appeared inside the hub was an understatement.

The Archivist stuck her head out. "Good to see you two back to your normal selves. Is Martha here?"

"No, haven't been able to reach her since the whole Master duplication thing."

"Well, looks like it's just us then. Jack. We need you—now!"

Jack jumped to attention and was running towards the TARDIS before Gwen could second guess. "It's about time—let's go!" He turned back quickly before stepping in the doorway. "Gwen, continue to check and see what systems were accessed by the Master. I'll be back."

But when he stepped on board, he didn't see who he'd expected.

"Donna!"

"Hello, Jack!"

"Donna!" He yelled again as he ran over and picked her up in a hug. "You're back!"

"Thanks to her Ladyship, I am."

The Archivist grinned. "That's what your grandfather calls me."

"Not surprising. So, he went off to get into trouble with the Doctor, did he? Just wait till I get my hands on that man. He's supposed to be taking it easy, not off getting himself shot at by aliens."

"Oh, Donna. You are every bit what I'd hoped you'd be. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that you're here," the Archivist said with a smile from across the console. Her face then turned serious. "But now, back to business—"

As they traveled to Naismith mansion, she caught Jack up on what was going on. Once they had arrived they snuck closer to the action. Before going around the final corner that would have them within sight of what was going on, the Archivist whispered to Donna.

"Donna, I need you to stay back."

"What? You brought me all this way to make me 'stay back'?"

"Donna, if the Doctor sees you right now, it will be too big a distraction. Me, he'll expect—maybe even Jack. But you—too unexpected. I promise I'll signal you if I need you. Be ready, keep your eyes and ears open."

Jack and the Archivist snuck around the corner, managing to hide behind the huge plants Naismith had lining the halls. They'd gotten close enough to hear the conversation between the Master, the Doctor—and Rassilon.

"Exactly!" the Master shouted. "It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!"

"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon goaded the Doctor.

The Archivist watched the Doctor's back from her hiding place as he looked to Rassilon, then at the woman behind him. She looked directly to where the Archivist was hidden, though she was sure she couldn't be seen. When the Doctor spun around, she saw the look of utter anguish on his face, his cut and bleeding face. She pulled away just one fern leaf and caught his attention over the Masters shoulder. He glanced only a moment, but she was sure he saw her. She looked to Jack who stood on the opposite side, with a better view of the equipment in the room. The Doctor glanced that direction, then back to the Master.

"Get out of the way."

The Master, after one glance towards the equipment, got the idea and moved. He thinks the Doctor is going to shoot, but instead, a shot comes from behind, from Jack—and the diamond is shot out of the gizmo, exploding the link and causing the Time Lords to begin to be closed off from this reality.

"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell!" the Doctor yelled.

"You'll die with me, Doctor," Rassilon called out as he held up the gauntlet.

"I think not," the Archivist said as she rushed in, pulling the Doctor away just as the Master stood again.

"Both of you, out of the way." The Master then began to attack Rassilon with his energy, stepping closer and closer till he was caught in the light with the other Time Lords and disappeared, along with Gallifrey.

"Archie?" the Doctor gasped out. When she'd pulled him away to safety, she'd held him so close, so tight, he could barely breath. His body still ached from the long drop and fall onto the hard floor. "I'm alive—I'm still alive!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course you are," she said with a smile.

He leaned his head against hers a moment, then went in further and kissed her.

Then, there was a tapping. A knocking.

"Oh no," he said as he broke off and spun around to see Wilfrid Mott in the booth.

"They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?"

"Oh, Wilf," the Archivist said sadly.

"This thing seems to be making a bit of a noise," Wilf said as he looked down.

"The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload," the Doctor explained.

The Archivist glanced down the hall. Donna still hadn't made an appearance, thankfully.

"And that's bad, is it?"

"No, because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing."

"Oh. Well, you'd better let me out, then."

"Except it's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even this would set it off," he said as he holds up his sonic screwdriver.

"Well surely the two of you can come up with something? Two of the greatest minds put together—you'll come up with something."

"They don't need the greatest minds, Mr. Mott. What they need is a body that can't die. Or at least, one that will keep coming back to life," Jack said as he approached. "And that's just what they have."

"Jack, no—" the Doctor started.

"Oh, don't even start with me, Doc. This is just what I was made for. I'll come back in no time, you'll see."

"Jack, we can't ask you to—," the Doctor started again.

"Yes, yes we can," a voice called out from the hallway.

The Doctor gasped and turned towards the voice. "D-Donna?"

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," the Archivist whispered from his side.

"I—I don't understand," the Doctor gasped out.

"Of course you don't, Spaceman. Because sometimes it takes a woman to see things clearly. In this case, _your_ woman. It's nice to see you're no longer the smartest in the room. I bet she's real good at putting you in your place, too—isn't she? And she loves you like crazy, she does."

The Doctor turned to the Archivist. "Arch—Arch, did you do this?"

She smiled and nodded. "With a little help from some confiscated Torchwood tech, yeah—yeah, I did."

"You—you saved Donna?"

"And now, if you don't mind—there's another life in need of saving," Donna spoke to interrupt them. "Gramps, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Donna? Donna, love? Is it really you? All back to your old self again?"

"Yeah, Gramps. It's me." She turned to Jack and rested a hand on his arm. "Jack—I wouldn't—I wouldn't ask this of you if—well—"

"It's okay, Donna. It's my honor. Your grandfather has served both his country and this planet well, in the past and today. Many have died and can't return. But I can."

And with that, Jack Harkness saved Wilfred Mott's life. He stepped into the empty booth, and pushed the button to lock it, allowing Wilf to escape the other side. Within moments, the chamber was being flooded with radiation. It hurt, it hurt badly. Only once the radiation had been absorbed into his body did the chamber reopen.

"Wilf, Donna—stay back. His body will still be radioactive. Arch, let's get him back to the TARDIS. Which is closer, yours or mine?" the Doctor said as he and Archie moved to lift the man up.

"I parked next to you."

"To the stables then."

* * *

AUTHOR NOTE:

This is pretty much all I have written up to this point that I'm prepared to post. But I'll be continuing to write, as I know where I want the story to go next. Hopefully I'll be able to post something in the next few days!


	21. Chapter 21: Clearing the Air

"Nanogenes."

"Yup."

"You used the nanogenes that were on the Chula ambulance that Jack was trying to sell me when I first met him."

"Correct."

"Oh, I am getting old," the Doctor mumbled as he ran his hands across his face again. " I can't even remember half the technology I've come across just in my last regeneration."

"Doctor, you were under a lot of pressure. You'd just barely come out alive from a possible universe ending scenario, you're best friend seemed to be self-destructing before your very eyes. You did what you had to do," The Archivist said as she sat down across from him at the table in the Doctor's TARDIS kitchen. She slid a cup of tea across the table to him, then rested her hand atop his. "You've got to stop being so hard on yourself."

"She's right, you know," Donna said from the doorway.

"Donna!" The Doctor jumped up out of his seat nervously. Donna rolled her eyes as she walked over to get a cup of tea.

"I think—I'm going to go take a cup of tea to Wilf. He hasn't left Jack's side since we laid him down in med bay He's probably a bit thirsty."

The Doctor's eyes went wide as he watched her take the cup Donna offered her, along with her own, and walk out the kitchen door, leaving him alone with his former companion.

After a moment of watching the red head's back as she prepared her own cup, he flopped back down in the seat.

"Donna, I'm…" He fidgeted in the seat and tried again. "Donna, I'm so—I'm so so sorry."

"What are you apologizing for, exactly? Saving my life by blocking my memories temporarily?"

"But Donna—those memories, they were precious to you. And I took them."

"Technically, you blocked them. You didn't take them. You didn't wipe them away with no chance of being able to retrieve them."

"Still—Wilf says you were—"

"Listen to me, Doctor, and listen good. Was I sad? Yes. Could I figure out why? No. Did I know there was something I was desperately missing from those two years? Yes. But—I found love, Doctor. I found Shaun and he makes me happy. Am I upset about what you did? Of course I am. But do I understand why you did it? Yes."

"So, the future Donna Temple-Noble," the Doctor said, smiling at the idea of his best friend's happiness, even if it did make him wonder what the future held for their friendship.

"That's right. So we'll be needing to find our way back to Chiswick post haste, if you don't mind. I've got a fiance who deserves a nice long explanation. And don't think you're getting out of helping with that explanation, mister."

"Of course, I'll take us back as soon as Jack wakes up. I'd like to stay in the Vortex while the residual radiation wears off."

They sat quietly for a few moments before she spoke again. "So, that docking thing between the two TARDISes. That's something."

"Isn't it? Didn't even know the Old Girl could do it. She's the one that showed us."

It grew quiet again, but the Doctor was smiling as he remembered walking into the control room hand in hand with the Archivist and his TARDIS making the instruction manual appear to answer their question about how they'd travel with two ships.

"You want to tell me about her?" Donna smiled as she asked.

The Doctor grinned. "She's brilliant."

"I gathered that," Donna said as she tapped on her temple as a reminder of the Archivist work to heal her.

"Yeah—that was pretty amazing, wasn't it?

"You'll here no complaints from me."

"Archie and I, we—Archie, that's what I've called her since our naming ceremonies, or Arch, sometimes I call her Arch—anyway, Archie's known me since we were kids, we walked the path to the Tempered Schism together. Archie's been putting up with me longer than anyone left—" He frowned. "Now that the Master is gone again."

"Did you love her then?"

"I've thought a lot about that. Ever since she showed me a few moments from our past when I was particularly…cruel…to her. I cared about her—but I was young and immature and mistreated her so many times—I took advantage of what a good friend she was. And then when there might have been a chance—as I grew older—my path had been laid out before me and for a time, I followed that path as I was told."

"That doesn't sound very much like the Doctor I know."

"That's because I came to my senses," he chuckled. "Seriously though—the Archivist put up with a great deal from me in our younger days."

"And yet, here she is. Perhaps she isn't as smart as I thought—," Donna said with a smirk.

"Ha ha," he snarked back, then grew serious. "I thought she was gone with the rest of Gallifrey."

"But?"

"Then, one day, the TARDIS led me to New York City, where, while diffusing an alien bomb, I met the most incomprehensible woman."

The Doctor spent the next several minutes telling Donna all about his time with Christine Madison in New York City, about their discovery of her actual identity, and their brief but incredible time since then.

"That's an incredible story."

"It is."

"I'm so happy for you, Doctor."

"I'm happy for you, too, Donna."

Both were awkwardly silent then, both wondering what the future held. The Doctor was fairly certain that the Archivist would have no problem with Donna, and even Shaun, traveling with them. But what would Shaun think? How would he handle the news of how Donna had spent those missing two years?

"So, have you two sat here and solved all the problems of the universe while I was taking a nap?"

The Doctor grinned at the sight of Jack Harkness standing in the kitchen doorway. Donna jumped up and caught the man in a hug. "Jack! You're back! You're okay! I'm so relieved. Thank you so much for what you did for Gramps."

"Anytime, Red."


	22. Chapter 22: Shaun Meets the TARDIS

A few minutes later Jack, Donna, and the Doctor were walking back into the Doctor's TARDIS control room. The Archivist stood at the console looking over readouts on the screen. She smiled as they filed in. "Ah, everyone's back. Are we ready to go provide a proper explanation to Donna's betrothed and see if we can convince him to go on a few adventures?"

"What?" Donna asked in confusion.

The Archivist glanced between the Doctor and Donna. "I'm sorry, I just assumed—I thought you might like to travel with the Doctor again. And I thought you'd want Shaun to come along."

Donna couldn't seem to believe what she'd heard. "You mean—you really wouldn't have a problem with us tagging along with you two?"

"Of course not, Donna. It would be wonderful to share our travels with you and Shaun."

Donna approached the woman and pulled her into a hug. "It means so much to me that you'd say that."

"Brilliant! First stop—Chiswick. Second stop—Marrying my bride-to-be before any other crises tries to get in the way," the Doctor said as he flipped the proper switches on the console.

* * *

Several hours later, the Doctor, the Archivist, and Donna sat at the kitchen table in Sylvia Noble's house with Wilf, Sylvia, and most importantly—Shaun Temple.

"So, you're telling me—you've traveled around in space?"

"And time, yes," Donna said, carefully examining Shaun's face for his reaction.

The Doctor was watching just as carefully, as was the Archivist. Everyone around the table, really—Wilf and Sylvia included—was paying close attention to see how Shaun would react.

Shaun turned to the Doctor, eying him carefully. "Could I see this ship of yours, Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled. "It would be my pleasure, Shaun." Shaun stood first, and the rest followed him. As Shaun, Donna, and the Archivist started to follow the Doctor, he stopped and turned, running a hand nervously through his hair. Syvlia and Wilf were not far behind. "Um, Sylvia—it occurs to me, you've never seen the TARDIS either, the inside I mean... Would you—would you be interested? In seeing it?"

"Really, Doctor?" Sylvia questioned, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, really?" Donna asked as well, quite surprised by the Doctor's suggestion.

"Yes, well—um, just seems right," the Doctor said, still nervous. Archie was by his side already and reached to take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of encouragement. She was proud of him.

"I'd be honored, Doctor," Sylvia said in her own rare display of humility.

* * *

After they'd gotten through the initial shock of the size outside/inside size difference, the Doctor gave everyone present the full tour, then allowed the Archivist to take over and they received a tour of Libby as well. When Shaun saw the library of the the Doctor's TARDIS he had gotten excited, but when he saw Libby's he got downright giddy.

"This is _amazing_!" he said.

"Shaun is a writer," Sylvia spoke up. "He's really very good."

The Archivist grinned. "Oh really? I'm something of a writer myself."

"Oh really? What sort?"

"I've written fiction and non-fiction. We'll have to compare notes sometimes. I'd love to read some of your work."

"Oh, that would be great! I'd love to read your work, too."

As they all made their way back to the control room of the Doctor's TARDIS, he spoke up. "So, Donna…Shaun… Archie and I, we had an idea we wanted to run past you."

"Oh? What's that?" Shaun asked.

"Well, as we mentioned, we plan on performing the Gallifreyan marriage ceremony as soon as possible, which we'd like for all of you to be present for. Then we were going to go on a few adventures of our own. But—when we come back, well—I know you two were planning on a spring wedding, we thought we'd give you a bit more time here on Earth. You know, to get through planning and to your wedding date. We'd love to come back for it—that is, if we're invited—"

"Of course you're invited, Doctor!" Donna interrupted.

He grinned, and continued. "Yes well, we thought perhaps we could give you two a proper honeymoon. Anywhere you'd like—in time, space, on Earth or beyond."

Archie continued the Doctor's thought. "We could drop you off for a week or so, however long you like. All expenses paid, on us. Then—well, we were wondering if you'd like to travel with us for a more extended time."

Donna looked at her fiance, hoping beyond hope that he'd be excited about the idea, but trying not to show her anticipation. Shaun looked at Donna, then back to the Doctor. "You'd want _me_ to travel with you, too?"

"Of course. We certainly wouldn't ask Donna back and not you, too. Shaun, if you're good enough for Donna Noble, then you're good enough for us. We'd love to have you along."

Shaun glanced between Donna and the Doctor, then down to the control room floor. After a few moments, he looked back to the Doctor. "Do we have to make the decision right now? I'd like some time to think about it and discuss it further with Donna."

"Of course, Shaun. There's plenty of time, you can discuss it and let us know anytime, even on the day of your wedding." Shaun nodded and Archie continued, "I do hope you'll do us the honor of attending our wedding?"

"Of course, yes," Shaun said.

"Well then, we'll need to drop you all off at home. We've got one more stop to make to visit and hopefully pick up an old companion of mine. We'll come back and pick you up before we head to the location we choose for the ceremony."


	23. Chapter 23: Lucille

The Archivist stood on the familiar porch, her fingers nervously tapping against the Doctor's hand as he held hers.

As the door opened, a gasp immediately escaped from Lucille Bellow when she saw the two Time Lords.

"Oh, it's been so long. So, so long. But it's really you now, isn't it?"

"Hello, Lucille," the Archivist said with a fond smile.

"Oh, Archivist. It's really you."

"It is me, Lucille."

The older woman turned her attention to the Doctor. "I was right. You're a Time Lord, too."

He nodded. "I am, Lucille. You're very perceptive."

"Thank you, sir. Please, you two, come in. There's so much to talk about."

* * *

"He never meant to fall in love with you. But when he realized you felt the same way—he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't bear to leave you, and if he stayed—he wouldn't let himself stay without committing his whole heart to you."

The Archivist looked down at her hands, a bit bashfully, as she thought about Greg and how much they cared about each other. It suddenly felt a bit awkward talking about it with the Doctor there.

"And you," Lucille continued. "You're the Doctor, aren't you?"

The Doctor's eyebrow raised. "How did you know about me?"

Lucille smiled. "Before she went under the Chameleon Arch, the Archivist told us that there was only one other Time Lord she thought might have escaped Gallifrey. Just one. Only one who might survive the War and maybe, just maybe, if she was lucky enough—would find her one day. The Doctor, she said."

The Doctor turned to the Archivist. "You really were still thinking about me, all those years later."

She nodded a bit hesitantly. "It was more of a dream than an expectation. I could only hope you'd survive the War. That you'd find a way to end it and save reality."

"So, you used the Arch because the Dalek's spotted you—" the Doctor continued from what he remembered of seeing her memories.

"It was only our second trip out into time and space when we ran into them. I managed to escape before they could track me. I parked on Earth and for months I scanned to be sure they hadn't followed us. Then, I started to worry they might track my genetic structure somehow. So, I hid—"

"In plain sight," Lucille finished. "That's how she explained it to us. She told us we were only to have her open the watch if there were an imminent threat to the entire planet. There have been some strange occurrences, but nothing that seemed to indicate a threat to the entire species."

"Nothing yet," the Doctor mumbled. Archie raised an eyebrow in warning. In the time period that Lucille lived in, the moving of Earth to the Medusa Cascade and the ensuing Dalek invasion of Earth hadn't happened. The Doctor cleared his throat and continued. "So why did you hint around for me to find her watch?" the Doctor leaned forward as he asked.

"Because, Doctor—if I was wrong, and you weren't who I thought you were, you'd find a watch and have an interesting story. If I was right—which I was—well now she's not alone anymore. And she deserves happiness. She's lost—she lost so much. Her planet, her people, and then her husband—and—and her children," the woman was crying by the time she was done. "She deserves happiness. And that's what she's got—isn't it? Am I right? You two—you're—"

The Archivist nodded slowly. "Yes, Lucille. The Doctor and I—we've got a long history and, well—"

"I've asked her to marry me, Lucille. And while Time Lord ceremonies are a bit different, and we won't do things exactly as they would on Gallifrey—we do want those closest to us there."

"And you're my family, Lucille—no matter what. You're all I've got left. Will you come?"

"Oh, sweetie—I'd want nothing more than to be there."


	24. Chapter 24: We Are One

With no other Time Lords alive to participate or guide the wedding ceremony, the Doctor and the Archivist chose to make the ritual what they wanted it to be. Short, sweet, and to the point. It was the Doctor who suggested where they have the ceremony. On the rooftop patio of Christine Madison's home. They hadn't yet packed it up, and Archie had called Janice and told her she would be out of the country traveling and that she didn't need to stop by for a few weeks. They'd take care of further arrangements once they returned from their honeymoon.

"I, the Doctor, Time Lord of Gallifrey, give myself to you, the Archivist, Time Lord of Gallifrey. I pledge to honor, respect, and love you for the rest of my lives." As he spoke, he wove a blue ribbon around their linked hands.

"I, the Archivist, Time Lord of Gallifrey, give myself to you, the Doctor, Time Lord of Gallifrey. I pledge to honor, respect, and love you for the rest of my lives." As she returned the vows, she wove a purple ribbon around their linked hands and through his blue ribbon.

"Alone we are weaker." the Doctor said.

"Together we are stronger," the Archivist added.

"We are no longer alone. We are strong," they said together. "We are one." As they said this final line they pulled with their free hands the end of their ribbons, pulling them tight, forming an intricate knot around their wrists.

"And now, I share with you my one kept secret. The name of my birth, the name of my heart," said the Doctor.

"And now, I share with _you_ my one kept secret. The name of my birth, the name of my heart," the Archivist repeated back.

Then, they leaned in and at the same moment whispered into each others ear. Their full names only began with what they knew each other as…"Theta" and "Telana" and as they spoke their full names the connection between their minds wove deeper and intertwined like the ribbon around their hands. They both gasped and rested their heads against each other, temple to temple, as they felt the link grow. In that moment they saw their past and their possible futures, all flash before them. They saw moments in public, and moments in…private.

The Doctor had enough presence of mind to move his hand to the nape of her neck and shifted just enough to meet her lips in a kiss.

_Telana…my love…we are one._

_Theta…my love…we are one._

They broke away from the kiss and opened their eyes, both with a wide grin on their face.

"We are one," they said together, then turned to their friends, hands still linked and tied by the ribbon.

"Friends, we thank you for your presence," the Archivist said.

"While this ceremony was short, it represents the most important parts of a Gallifreyan wedding ceremony. We are now bound—woven—together. Our souls, our spirits, our minds, are connected."

The small gathered audience cheered and clapped for them, all stepping forward to hug each of them. After a few moments of chatting and congratulations, the Doctor spoke up.

"Now, if you'll all just head back down to the TARDIS, we'll see to getting you all back home."

"Aw, Doc, you mean we don't get to stick around for the physical bonding?" Jack said with a waggle of his eyebrows."

"Jack!" Martha swatted him on the arm.

"I'd just like a few moments alone with my new wife, there will be no, erm, physical bonding, till we're away on our honeymoon."

"When do you take off the ribbons, Doctor?" Donna asked, in innocent curiousity.

"Erm, well, you see—this is represents our physical bond until it's, well, you know—" the Doctor blushed and ran his free hand through his hair.

"Oh," Donna said as she blushed. "Then perhaps we should just be getting on down to the TARDIS so you can get us home, eh?"

"That'd be nice, Donna," the Doctor continued to blush, as did Archie.

"Aw, no fun…" Jack said as Martha shoved him back into the house, the others following suit. Once everyone was well into the house, the Doctor turned back to the Archivist.

"Hello, wife."

She grinned. "Hello, husband."

"You know, Jack doesn't necessarily have such a bad idea…just a few minutes and we could have these ribbons off our wrists…"

"Doctor," Archie said in a playful warning tone.

"I know, I know… too special to rush. Just kidding around..." He peered up at her, trying to act as if the thought hadn't seriously gone through his head, even though in his mind he'd already estimated the number of steps it would take to get to her bedroom. He couldn't help it—he was married now, but the bond wasn't 100% complete. But it shouldn't take long to drop off their friends back in the appropriate times and places. "Perhaps just another kiss then?"

"That seems fair," she said and he pulled her towards him with their connected hands. His arm wrapped tight around her waist, pulling her as close as he could as he met her lips with his.

When they broke away he sighed and rested his forehead against hers. _I love you, my Archivist…my Telana."_

_I love you, my Doctor…my Theta. _

Suddenly she frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard the front door open." She paused a moment longer. "Strange." Another moment and it was nothing. "I'm sure it was nothing. Come on, let's go. We should be getting our friends home."

He grinned. "You won't hear me arguing."


	25. Chapter 25: Separated

As they walked off the upstairs patio and down the narrow stairwell that led to the second floor of the house, the Doctor walked close behind the Archivist, accommodating their linked hands that kept them from being too far apart. According to custom, they couldn't cut the ribbons—which weren't so tight as to be uncomfortable on their individual wrists, but tight enough that they had to hold hands—until they'd united physically.

They had made it to the second floor of the house and walked down the hallway past the bedrooms and to the flight of stairs that led to the main floor of the house. As they walked down the stairs, the Doctor looked at the family pictures that remained there, of Christine Madison and her husband Greg, and their two children Titus and Jane."

As they reached the final steps, the Doctor slowed as he saw a picture of he and Christine. "I'd forgotten you took that picture on your phone of us!"

"Yes, the night we made pizza together I—"

She had been tugging him along until she suddenly stopped talking when suddenly the pull on his wrist went slack. He immediately turned, the sensation in his head as shocking as the feel on his wrist. And he found—

Nothing.

She had disappeared.

The ribbon hung slack around his wrist.

"Hey what are you playing at, Arch!" He yelled as he hopped down the final stairs and gasped.

Standing just around the corner, hand pointed towards him—towards where the Archivist had just stood—was a Weeping Angel.

He stood, wide-eyed, staring, not blinking—no, not even blinking—at the stone statue frozen before him. "What have you done!?" he shouted. "What did you do with her!? Where did you send her!? Tell me! Where? Where did you send her?"

He started to back away, gasping at the loss of her presence in his mind, trying to calculate how he was going to get out of this and get back to Archie. His only hope was that there wasn't another Angel behind him as he walked backwards, staring at the angel, as he moved through the open floor plan of the house and towards the back door where the TARDIS was parked in the garden. He had to get to the TARDIS. Had to figure out how to find her.

When he reached the door, tears now streaming down his face as he wept over the loss of his beloved, he saw in his peripheral vision the floor length mirror Christine had kept there. He snatched it up and slid it to his back so that it faced outward behind him. He knew having a Weeping Angel look at itself in the mirror held danger, but used in a pinch, for a short amount of time, was exactly what he needed to make it the last 50 feet to the TARDIS.

He ran. Awkwardly with the mirror held behind him, but he ran. He approached the TARDIS and once to the door, he let the mirror drop and slid in, slamming the door behind him.

Once in the safety of the ship, he collapsed to the floor, gasping through sobs as he held onto the ribbon still loosely hanging onto his wrist.

"Doc!" Jack yelled out

"Doctor!" yelled Donna.

They, along with Martha, Mickey, Shaun, Wilf, Sylvia, and Lucille, all ran towards him. Donna reached him first.

"Doctor! Where is she? Where is the Archivist?"

His mind was spinning, struggling to grab hold of any one thought. He was relieved his friends were safe. He was tormented at the loss of his new bride. He was furious at the Angel somewhere outside his TARDIS that had taken her away.

"Doctor, take a deep breath before you pass out." Martha said as she pushed through the others to get to his side and check him over.

"Martha—it was—it was the Angels. A Weeping Angel. Took her."

"Oh my God. No." Martha whispered.

"We were—we were coming down the stairs and—she made it to the bottom a step ahead of me. Just enough for it to get a look at her and touch her. She was gone. Right out of my grasp."

He lifted up his hand, revealing the hanging ribbon. Donna gasped at the sight, a tear running down her own cheek.

"She's—she's gone?" Sylvia said from a few feet away where she, Wilf, Lucille, and Shaun all stood—unsure of how to help with their little experience at this type of thing.

"Gone, but not dead," Jack said. "Which means we'll find her Doc. You managed not to get taken. And we've got your TARDIS, so we can go back in time and find her."

The Doctor took a deep breath and finally got to his feet with the help of Donna and Martha.

"I don't understand, Doctor. Who are these Weeping Angels? And how did they take her? Did they kidnap her?"

As the Doctor slowly walked up to the console he began explaining. "Weeping Angels are quantum-locked humanoids. They appear to be angel statues frozen with their heads buried in their hands—as long as you're looking. But as soon as you look away or even blink, as soon as they aren't being looked at, they move, and they attack. But not to kill—well, not usually. No, they attack and just by touching their victim, they send them back somewhere to sometime in the past."

"What does that do for them?" Donna asked as she stayed close by the Doctor's side, keeping a close eye on her hurting friend.

"The Weeping Angels live off of time energy. By displacing a person out of their current existence, that person leaves behind the potential energy energy form the life they would have lived."

"The life of a Time Lord must have a whole lot of potential time energy with as long as you live and as much as you do," Jack considered.

"Precisely. And with our wedding, I can only imagine it must have multiplied our potential life energy, thus attracting the Weeping Angel."

"So, what now, Doctor? What do we do to get her back?" Sylvia Noble questioned, coming to her daughter's side.

The Doctor gave a bittersweet smile to Sylvia. "It's kind of you to consider helping, Sylvia, but I can't ask you to do that. I can't ask any of you to do that," he said as he glanced around the room, before leaning against the console and looking down at his sneakers to avoid their gaze. "I'll just take you all back to your proper places then begin my search."

Martha was the first to scoff, her face scrunched up. "Pardon? I don't think so."

"Yeah, not a chance, Boss," Mickey added.

"I have to echo that sentiment, Doc. There's no way I'm letting you do this without me," Jack said.

"Or us—right Shaun." Donna looked to her fiance for affirmation.

"Quite right," Shaun nodded and joined the rest of the group that was starting to circle around the Doctor. "I reckon, from all the stories I've heard so far, you've done plenty enough for all of us. It's only right we help you now. You helped make my love whole, Doctor. I owe you the same favor to help you find yours."

"And the more of us there are, the quicker we can find her! Right Dad?" Sylvia spoke up again.

"Right! Remember, Doctor, how I rallied my team together to find you! All of us, we'll do the same now to find Her Ladyship!" Wilf exclaimed.

"Doctor, it seems to me, you need us. Now isn't the time to refuse the help of those who you call friend. And I can't possibly walk away and leave Christine—I mean, the Archivist—I can't leave her now, when she needs us most," Lucille was the last to speak her opinion.

The Doctor slowly raised his head, turning to meet the gaze of each of his friends. "I—I can't thank you all enough." He then turned around to face the console and the computer screen and the rest of the group surrounded the console. "I'm not sure where to even start, how to know when—or where—she's at."

"The Archivist—she's awfully smart, Doctor—I can't imagine she isn't already thinking of a way to contact you or leave a message for you somehow."

"It's true, Doctor—she figured out how to save Donna!" Wilf spoke up.

The Doctor had gotten distracted by the ribbon around his wrist again. He thought to himself as he rubbed the ribbon between his fingers, his resolve growing. He looped the ribbon and placed the extra length around his wrist again. There wasn't a chance he was taking it off. "You're right. You are all right. She's the smartest person, the smartest Time Lord I ever knew. She'd do something to leave behind a trail of where she's at."

Martha was the first to ask what everyone was thinking. "But what?"


	26. Chapter 26: Short Circuit

He should be doing something. He should be moving, flying the TARDIS somewhere, researching something, doing SOMETHING. Instead, he sat slumped over in the jump seat, slumped over - after his attempt to catch up those less familiar with the Weeping Angels, he'd sat down, his mind going fuzzy. His new bond with his wife was still so fresh, so new—the completion of their bond hadn't even occurred yet, he considered as he fiddled with the ribbon around his wrist. He wanted to will himself to get up, to start thinking through what Archie might have done to leave behind a message, a way for him to find her. But his brain was just—short circuited.

Through the haze he looked up to see his former companions all standing around the console, with a few extra additions—Sylvia, Wilf, and Shaun—considering how they might be able to find her.

And here he sat. Useless.

That was, until the incredible red-haired best friend of his stomped her way over to him. "Doctor!" She grabbed a hold of his shoulders, bending down to look him in the eye. "Doctor, I need you to snap out of it now. We can't do this without you. You're the one who knows the most about her."

"Donna, I—I—"

She sighed, knealing down in front of him and taking his hands in her own, squeezing them gently. "Doctor, I know it hurts. Your heart hurts and I can only imagine your mind does too. But, Doctor—if we're to find her, I need you to stand up and come over here and help."

She stood back up and he followed suit, with her not letting go of his hands till he was fully standing. When she finally let his hands drop, she then placed a hand on his back and gently nudged him forward towards the console.

"I've had an idea, Doctor, but I need your help. You've told me before that when you used the Chameleon Arch, the TARDIS used your pseudonym as your name—John Smith—right?" He nodded. "So, in the history books somewhere, there's a John Smith who was a teacher at that school, right?" He nodded again, and Donna gave a quiet huff that he hadn't caught on yet. "And what name was the Archivist given while she was a human for all that time?"

"Christine," he said weakly, before clearing his throat and trying again. "Christine Madison."

"So, if she got sent back in time in New York City—or anywhere on Earth for that matter, she'd need a pseudonym. Couldn't go around being called the Archivist, could she? And if there's one thing I've learned it's that you Time Lords have a penchant for sticking with the same fake name, no matter what time or location.

By now, Donna had gone over to the monitor and was typing in at super-temp speed onto the keyboard.

The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place as he made himself slowly step closer to her.

"So, you told me she was Christine the human around the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks, having been present approximately twenty years before that." She typed as she spoke, narrowing down her search criteria. "With a birth record and life having been created for her prior to those twenty years. So, we'll say approximately 1960-2003. So we need to search prior to 1960 for a Christine Madison somewhere on Earth, most likely, but not necessarily, in New York City."

"But Donna, as Time Lords we're trained to _not_ get written about in other civilizations history books. We're supposed to remain as invisible as possible."

"Well, yes, I'm sure you are, if you aren't trying to wave a big red flag that says, 'Hey Spaceman, come and find me!' But surely she could do _something_ to be written about without doing anything to mess with the time lines too much."

Just as soon as Donna was done talking, a beeping started on the screen. Everyone came running over.

"What is it! What'd you find?" Sylvia said excitedly.

Donna and the Doctor were closest and stared at the screen. A wide grin formed on Donna's face. She was a speed reader, having made it through the writing even quicker than the Doctor.

"That's her! That's got to be her!"

"What is it?" Jack said, peering over their shoulder.

"Christine Madison, author, wrote _The Healer and the Librarian_ in…1929. Doctor! Look at that—_The Healer and the Librarian_ \- if that isn't secret code, I don't know what is! The Doctor and the Archivist—The Healer and the Librarian!"

"Wh-Wha—D-Donna, you did it—you found her!"

"Of course she did! Brilliant, that's my girl!" Wilf hopped up and down excitedly.

"But where is she?"

The Doctor frowned. "Last known address—New York City, 1929…that's the beginning of the Great Depression. And—oh—oh, no—"

Martha's face went pale. "Doctor—we were in New York City—in 1930. When the—"

"The Dalek's."

"What!?" Donna barked out. "Oh, bloody hell no, we are not dealing with those tin cans again, are we?"

"We have to get her out before—before they start taking people. If she—if they get a hold of her—realize who she is—"

"Then we'll get her, Doctor. We'll get her out in 1929, well before we were ever there, before the Dalek's—"

"What were the Dalek's doing in 1930 New York City?" Jack asked.

"The short answer—The Cult of Skaro was performing genetic experiments."

"Oh my God," Lucille gasped.

* * *

The ship was soon landing in a back alley in 1929 New York City. The Doctor and Jack were whispering by the console when the ladies came back into the room.

"Wha—what are you doing?" the Doctor asked as he looked at Sylvia, Lucille, Martha, and Donna, all dressed in 1930's style clothing.

"We're ready to go looking for Christine Madison, what do you think we're doing?"

"Oh no, no, no—I'll not go risking timelines and lives having all of you running around willy nilly."

"Oh, get off it, Doctor!" Sylvia shot back at him. "We're not fools, nor children. We know how to behave and I've seen enough time travel films to know not to get into trouble and change history. You want your wife back, then you need all of us. If we split up we're much more likely to find her, and quicker.

The Doctor looked at her, exasperated. "Sylvia—why—why are you being so nice to me?"

Sylvia's expression softened. "Because, Doctor—how many times have you helped Earth? Saved us from total destruction? The least we can do is help you get your wife back." She gave him a pleading look. "_Please_ Doctor, let us help."

The Doctor sighed as he looked around at the faces of the men and women determined to help him. "Alright. Alright, then. But if we're going to split up you absolutely _must_ be careful not to do anything that could change anyone's timeline. Don't put a penny in a can, don't help someone cross the street. The only life we're interested in changing is that of _my wife_. Now, do you all have mobile phones?"

Everyone glanced around at each other, nodding.

"Alright then, pull them out, let's see them."

The ladies reached into the era-appropriate purses they carried with them, the men into their pockets. The Doctor pulled his sonic out and started waving it over each of them.

"There, no accidental ringing phones in the 1930's, thank you very much. I've basically set them up to only do a group chat feature, so if you spot her or learn any information, find a private place with no prying eyes and send the information out to the rest of the group. Martha, Mickey, and Lucille, you three start in Uptown, Upper East and West Side. Donna, you, Shaun, and Sylvia check out midtown. Jack, Wilf, and I will head to Lower Manhattan. We'll be checking her last known address.

* * *

They'd been searching New York City for hours, with no luck yet. Jack, the Doctor, and Wilf had gone back to her last known address with no luck, and the current tenants rather grumpily told them they had no idea who she was. After that, they split up and went into different areas to ask shop keepers if they knew of a Christine Madison.

The other teams had split up as well, and now Sylvia Noble walked down the sidewalk, passing by a long line of people waiting in a breadline. It broke her heart to think of all the poor needy people in this city during this era. She sighed, looking around, unsure where to go and who to ask next. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was till someone bumped into her, causing her to look up from the sidewalk. It was only then she saw the grand structure in front of her. The New York City public library.

_The Healer and the Librarian_ she thought to herself.

_The Librarian_ she considered.

_What better place for an Archivist than the New York City Public Library_? As she had this thought, she made her way up the stairs of the library.

* * *

The Archivist, or, as she was known in this time, Christine Madison, sat at her desk at the library. It had been a slow day, as most days were right now. Too many city residents were in bread lines to spend their time on leisurely reading, so the library was slow. There were rumors that they'd be laying off employees soon, she only hoped she might be able to keep her job long enough for the Doctor to find her. Trying to find another job in this economy was difficult, and she could barely afford to keep the meager accommodations she was renting.

It was quiet in the library, so the gasp she heard was enough to get her attention. She looked up, and standing across the room was an older blonde haired woman she'd recognize anywhere. But it couldn't be—could it? She stood up, the woman slowly moving closer as she did.

"S-Sylvia?"

"Arc—I mean, Christine? Christine Madison?"

"Yes," she whispered loudly as they came up to each other. "It's me! It's my Sylvia!"

The two women hugged each other tight. "Oh, the Doctor is going to be so thrilled to know we've found you! And won't it be just right that _I_ am the one that found you! After he put up such a fuss about me coming along!"

"Oh, Sylvia, I'm so happy to see you! Is he here?"

"He's downtown looking for you. We're spread out all over the city trying to find you! Is there someplace private we can go so I can send him a message?"

"Yes, yes! Come with me!"

* * *

The Doctor came out of the 22nd small shop he'd been in asking about Christine. He sighed, starting to get discouraged.

"Now, I see that look, Doctor," Wilf came up. "You just stop that thought right now. We'll find her. We'll find her soon, I just know it."

Jack approached then. "Any luck?"

"None. No one seems to heard of her. No luck with that picture the TARDISes doctored up either."

Just then, all three of them felt their phones vibrate in their pockets. The Doctor was fastest to his.

_Sylvia: Found her! Everyone to the NYC Public Library!_

"Blimey, she did it! My daughter, she did it! She found her!" Wilf said before hopping around in a dance.

Jack was already flagging down a taxi before the Doctor had time to react. He was too busy staring at the message on his phone.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of the NYC library. The Doctor got out, quickly surveying the area in front of him, the sidwalks, the stairs—he froze. His brain was short-circuiting again. There, sitting on the stairs next to Sylvia Noble was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in the universe, in the entirety of existence in fact. His Christine Madison—his Archivist—his Telana. Whether or not she felt his presence at the edge of her mind first or just felt someone staring, she looked up at that moment and saw him. She jumped up, but neither moved forward.


	27. Chapter 27: Packing Up

They stared at each other a moment, neither quite ready to believe they'd found each other. But it was only a moment, because at the same time they both leapt forward, running to each other. His arms crashed around her as she wrapped hers around his waist, holding him tight. They kissed like two people who hadn't seen each other in ages. Though for the Doctor it had only been eight hours, thirty-four minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Not that he was counting. For her—

He pulled back, staring into the depths of her deep blue eyes. "How long? How long have you been here?"

Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, trying to keep up with the excitement and running she'd become unaccustom to since coming here, and with the amazing kiss they'd just shared. She whispered, "One year, four months, twelve days, 10 hours, and forty-eight seconds."

_Oh, Telana… _ he whispered into her mind as his hands came to her cheeks and he pulled her into another deep kiss.

_Theta…_

A throat clearing beside them brought them back to reality, and they broke away from the kiss, but the Doctor didn't let her go far, resting his head gently against hers.

"How long for you?" she whispered.

He sighed. "Only eight hours, thirty-nine minutes…and twelve seconds. But it was the longest eight hours of my life, Archie. I'm so sorry I couldn't come back sooner. But as soon as we found your book, we came to the closest time we could manage and we've been looking all day here around the city, and—"

"It's okay, it's okay, Doctor." She rested a hand gently on his cheek. "You're here now, that's what matters."

"But, can't we go back earlier, like we said? Now that she can tell us how far back to go?" Donna asked.

"No," the Archivist spoke as she leaned back, before the Doctor could speak. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Chances of what?" Shaun asked.

"Alien invasion, another Weeping Angel, tripping off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic…"

Jack's eyebrow lifted in curiosity. "Seriously?"

The Archivist looked at Jack. "Seriously. I'm not letting this man out of my sight, or out of my reach, for a good long while. The past one and a half years has already happened for me. I'm not chancing something happening and it being even longer instead of shorter." She turned her gaze back on the Doctor. Looking him right in the eyes as she spoke. "We're good. You're here. I'm not letting you go."

A very small part of him wanted to argue, wanted to attempt to make the time they were apart shorter for her. But a much bigger part of him agreed—it wasn't worth the risk, not when he had her in his arms now. "Alright. That's that then. Let's get you back to the TARDISes. They're going to be so happy to see you."

"I need to pick up my things from my apartment—well, it's not really an apartment, it's a room. But my things are all there and I can't leave without them."

"Alright, then." The Doctor released his grip from around her waist, but his hand slipped down to hers and held it tight. "We'll meet the rest of you back at the TARDIS after we pick up her things."

"There's only one problem," the Archivist said, chewing at the corner of her lip.

"What's that?"

"The house I live in—the owner, she has a strict 'no men allowed' policy. Even if I convince her you're my husband whose been gone trying to find work, I'm not sure she'll let you in."

The Doctor frowned. He truly didn't want to let go of her hand. They were already going to have to re-tie the ceremonial ribbon as soon as they got back to the TARDIS, but that didn't mean he wanted to let go of her now that he had her in his arms. After another moment of thought, he decided, "All right. Donna, come with us. If I have to let her out of my sight, I want someone else I trust implicitly by her side while she's packing up."

Donna smiled. While she found this whole not-letting-go and not-taking-my-eyes-off-you thing to be a bit much, even for newlyweds (she knew there was more to it with whatever these Gallifreyan bonds were they'd talked about)—she was honored to be the one the Doctor trusted. "Off we go, then."

* * *

"No men allowed," the old woman frowned as she stood in the doorway.

"But, Mrs. Flynn, as I said, he's my husband. He's just been traveling to try and find a job and has returned with good news. He's found a job and we're moving. I just need to pick up my things."

"Doesn't change the rules. No men allowed."

The Doctor gently squeezed the Archivist's hand, decided to give his charm a try. "Why, Mrs. Flynn, I understand your rules, and I very much appreciate them, as I know it means my dear wife here wasn't charmed away by any scoundrels while I was away." He pulled a wallet out of his back pocket, making sure to open it where she could see the bills clearly. "Now, ma'am, I'd like to be sure my wife's room is paid up for the rest of this month. What do we owe you?"

The woman stared, wide-eyed, at the bills in the wallet. The Archivist frowned, unsure that such a flashy show was necessary. The woman continued to peer for a moment, before looking back up into his eyes. "You're welcome to pay up on her account, but that doesn't change the rules. No men allowed."

The Doctor sighed, wallet flipping closed.

The Archivist gave him a small smile of pity, then turned back to her landlady. "Very well, Mrs. Flynn. My sister-in-law, Donna, will come in with me then, to help me pack up my things. I'll leave you here with my husband to settle my account."

* * *

"I just have a few things I care to take along," the Archivist said to Donna as they went up the stairs of the house. "Most of them are already in a special box I keep. The rest won't take long to collect."

They made it to the top of the stairs and walked down a short hall. The Archivist pulled a small key ring out of a pocket in her jacket and unlocked the door. Once inside, Donna gasped at the sight of three small beds in the tiny room. "How many are living in this room?"

Before answering, Archie closed the door behind them and locked it, then sighed as she turned back and looked around the room. "There's three of us in this room. We're lucky, some of the rooms have four beds. It's the best I could find on a librarians salary."

"What about your book? Surely you make some off that?"

"I didn't really publish it to make money off it, just to get it out there so the Doctor would find it."

"It was me, actually."

"What?"

"I found it—found you. The Doctor was a bit…shell-shocked…he was struggling to hold it together, much less run a search operation."

"Yes, well, I can understand that. I was quite 'shell-shocked' as you put it when I first ended up here."

"Well, let's hurry then and get you two back together. I don't know much about Gallifreyan marriage bonding, but I can tell you're both itching to be touching again."

"It will get better once—" She stopped herself and blushed. "Well, it will get better."

Donna gave a cheeky grin. "Oh yeah, I'm _sure_ it will." She chuckled.

Meanwhile, to distract herself from her embarrassment, the Archivist had knelt down by her assigned bed and proceeded to pull out a wooden box. It was about the size of a case of paper from back home, Donna judged, and had a latch with a padlock securing it. She watched as the Archivist pulled a necklace that had been hiding from around her neck, a small key dangling from it. They key went into the pad lock and soon she had flipped open the box lid.

Once opened Donna recognized folded in the bottom the purple linen shirt the Archivist had been wearing on her wedding day. On top of it was her 'tool' belt, sonic screwdriver still in it's pouch. There were a few other devices, some papers. With the top open, the Archivist then went about her corner of the room, pulling out a few books from under the bed and placing them into the box. One caught Donna's eye and she gasped.

"That's your book, the one you wrote."

"Yes, this was the first printed copy. I saved it in hopes I could give it to the Doctor when he came for me."

Donna smiled. "You knew he would."

"I did. I knew he would keep his promise. I just wasn't sure how long it would take."

"He would have gone to the end of the universe to find you, if he'd had to."

The Archivist smiled back. "Thankfully, he didn't have to."

"Nope, just a few decades back in time—easy peasy," Donna said with a shrug and a grin.

"I think that's everything. I'll just leave a note for my roommates. They can split up my clothes between them. They'll love that."

"I have to say, you look rather good in this time period's clothes. Sure you don't want to keep them around?"

Archie groaned. "Are you kidding me? If I don't have to wear another pair of stockings and heels a day of my life, I'll die a happy woman." The two women laughed together as Archie locked her box back up and picked it up. "Alright, that's it."


	28. Chapter 28: Reconnect

The couple were quiet on the taxi ride back to the street where the docked TARDISes was located—or more accurately, the street that the alley was located on where the TARDISes were parked. Donna glanced between the two of them. The Doctor tapped a beat on his knee with his free hand, the other hand firmly gripping the Archivist's. The woman whose hand he held, well, the knee his hand wasn't resting on was bobbing up and down as she bounced her leg, chewing at her lip as she stared out the window.

They both had enough nervous energy to power the TARDIS, Donna thought. She wondered, if she hadn't been in the taxi with them, would they already be all over each other by now? As it was, would they get the TARDIS back into the vortex before they ran off to their room? Perhaps Donna would have to rush everyone off to the kitchen or the library for a while, in case they couldn't make it past the control room. She then remembered that they could communicate telepathically. What conversation might they be having right this moment?

She didn't realize a giggle had escaped until both Time Lords turned to look at her. She cleared her throat and did her best to wipe the smirk off her face. "Um, sorry."

"What is it, Donna?" the Doctor asked, welcoming the distraction.

"Just—thinking."

"About?" the Archivist asked.

"Um…" She needed to think fast. "How long do you think it'll take to get us back home? Shaun and I have lots of wedding plans to work on, and I'd hate for all of us to be a bother to you two newlyweds."

"A bother? You're no bother, Donna!" the Doctor waved her off dramatically.

"No, no bother at all!" the Archivist added, equally over emphatic.

_Right_. Donna thought.

"But," the Doctor drawled out. "We'd hate to keep you two from planning your wedding." He looked at the Archivist, encouraging her to agree.

"Yes, we don't want to keep you two lovebirds from getting everything ready for a beautiful spring wedding!"

"And Jack, I'm sure he needs to get back to Torchwood business. With he and Mickey and Martha away, who knows what trouble is brewing in Cardiff," the Doctor said, now acting very concerned.

"Oh, yeah, he probably has all sorts of business to attend to," Donna said, trying her best to pay along and not break out in a fit of giggles again.

"Yes, I'd hate to know what's come through the rift with only Gwen and Ianto to hold down the fort," the Archivist said with a frown that closely matched the Doctor's.

"Yes, it's best we get you all back home as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Donna said, acting convinced. "You're probably right."

* * *

They had made their way quickly back to the TARDIS and the Doctor put in the coordinates for the first stop, the Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay. The Archivist never left his side, never releasing his hand. They remained quiet and tense. The rest of the group stood nearby at the jump seat, chatting about what they'd seen in 1929 New York City.

The Doctor looked over the controls, confident they were good to be left unattended for a few moments, then glanced up at the rest of the group, then to his bride. He tugged her across the room and drew her close.

Donna glanced up in time to watch them carefully undoing the ribbon from around the Doctor's wrist, releasing each knot and tangle as if it were a solemn occurrence. Once the two ribbons were free from each other, she saw their lips moving as they whispered to each other. She quickly hushed the others from talking and bobbed her head in the direction of the two Time Lords. This was a sacred moment and she felt it wasn't appropriate for them to be chattering on about fashion while it was taking place.

The Time Lords had begun rewrapping the ribbon around the wrists of the hands, quietly repeating the mantra they'd said during their vows. Those hands had scarcely left each other since the two had found each other again, save for the few minutes Donna herself had to escort the Archivist up to her room and back. She remembered the way the Doctor held his arm out, hand outstretched to his wife as she came down the stairs and back out the front door to him. She also saw the relief that washed over him, the way he visibly relaxed, when their hands were connected again, as if he wasn't whole till they were touching again. Almost as if he'd been in pain the entire time they'd been seperated. There was something about this new Gallifreyan marriage bond she found downright intriguing, quite vulnerable, and very romantic.

As they finished the intricate pattern of weaving one, then the other ribbon around their wrists, she could just make out them saying together, "We are one," as they pulled the ribbons tight, forming the final knot that kept them together till some point hopefully in the very very near future that they'd finally be left alone to complete the physical component of their bond. She blushed and realized just how special it was that the group she sat with had been invited to witness their wedding, and now their reconnecting themselves in preparation for the completion of their felt such overwhelming joy for her Spaceman, her best friend. She looked up at Shaun, smiling at him sweetly and taking his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Yes, her best friend had found love—just like she had.


	29. Chapter 29: Complete

They'd dropped off their friends and companions, and none too soon. It wasn't that they didn't care deeply for those friends of theirs. They were all precious to them. But their marriage bond had gone far too long without completion.

They'd just dropped Lucille off, back at her home in the mountains of New York, and the Archivist had just spent what, to the Doctor, felt all together too many minutes saying goodbye to the woman. When finally she'd turned back towards the TARDIS, he surged towards the ship, practically dragged her back inside and as soon as the doors were closed, backed her towards one of the coral struts. "How are you handling this so well?" he growled.

She smiled at him, calm and steady, irritating him further. "Perhaps you've forgotten Doctor, but for me, it's been 16 months, almost 13,000 hours, since we made our vow. It took me about an hour to get over the absolute panic that I'd lost you forever. Then at least one more to stop weeping. Then a few more to allow my resolve to grow and realize I had to survive and find a way back to you, even if it meant hiding away and surviving in the city till I could find you back in the time I'd just left you." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued. "And there, as I sat, alone in the alley—my mind, it started to itch. Then my whole body. It was like I was itching, tingling, burning, from the inside out. They don't write about that in Gallifreyan textbooks, do they, Doctor? Haven't read about that feeling in all the literature about Time Lord wedding rituals, hmm? Do you know what I was missing, Doctor? Do you?"

He eased back, suddenly feeling guilty. He knew exactly how she had felt. The same feeling was currently driving him mad. "M-me?"

"Yes, precisely."

"I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head low in shame.

She lifted his chin with one finger, then cupped his cheek in her hand, speaking gently into his mind. _I don't want you to be sorry. I just want you to understand._ She then spoke aloud again, but still in a hushed quiet tone, "I'm not immune to it. I'm about to crawl out of my skin, Doctor. I lived with that underlying feeling of—lacking, of missing something, of being incomplete—for over a year. Having you back by my side, your hand in mine, and now—this." She held up their hands, showing their ribbon-wrapped wrists. "I'm not handling it well, I've just learned how to fake it." She held out her other hand so he could see how much it trembled. He took it in his free hand and held it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. She smiled for a moment, then as he lowered their hands, her face grew serious again and he saw emotion swirling in her eyes. She was letting the control she'd built up over the past 16 months slip.

"Alone we are weak." She stated, repeating words similar to those of their wedding vows.

"Together, we are strong." He spoke the other half of the vow.

She moved away from the outer doorway and across the control room, leading him to the inner doorway towards the hallway and depths of the TARDIS. Not too far away would be the bedroom the TARDISes had worked together to prepare for their newly bonded Time Lord pair. He followed closely.

* * *

When the Doctor slowly blinked his eyes open several hours later, he looked up at the ceiling above him and smiled. His mind was calm, and he no longer felt like he might vibrate out of his own skin. He'd been so on edge he almost took it out on his own wife, the one person who could calm him. He turned his head to the side and first saw his own wrist, still attached by the ribbon to hers. They'd twisted the ribbons more loose so that their wrists could lay flat against the pillows between them as they both lay flat on their backs in the bed. It was the most comfortable position they could find while still connected by the ribbon, neither quite yet willing to cut them as they drifted off to sleep. He pushed his own wrist against the pillow, moving it out of the way to give him a better view of her. She looked so peaceful—not a surprise since the final puzzle piece of their bond had been put into place. As he watched her sleep, he considered the past several days, and even went as far back as their childhood, stretching himself to think about memories he'd hidden away for so long. He'd done his best to forget about Gallifrey and now he regretted it. He'd allowed himself to forget one of his most precious friends.

He'd walk through the darkest pits of Hades for this woman. Another smile crossed his face as he considered what he'd promised to do—to honor, respect, protect, and love her—for the rest of his lives.

He grinned again before testing their bond, 'poking' a bit at the edge of her sleeping presence in his mind.

He only barely caught the change in her breathing before he heard her drowsy voice in his head, having picked up on his thoughts.

_The 'rest of your lives' isn't going to be very long if you wake me up poking around at me in your brain, Doctor._

_Are you threatening your husband? _He grinned.

_I'm threatening the man whose poking about when I'm trying to sleep. If that foolish man happens to be my husband, so be it._

_Aw, you wouldn't hurt me, would you?_

She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a playful challenging glare in the blue depths. _I don't do mornings. You knew that before you married me._

_Technically, it's not morning, it's—_

_Don't push it, Doc. I really don't want to have to hurt you._

He smiled again. He could 'hear' the playfulness in her mental voice. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her wrist, just below the ribbon.

It sent a chill through her and he grinned again, before looking solemnly down at the deep blue and purple ribbons criss crossing around their wrists.. He whispered into her mind. _I think it's safe now, don't you? We can cut the ribbon._

_I suppose so, yes. _She let out an audible sigh and turned her head away from him, reaching her free hand out from under the thick duvet that covered them and sliding open the side table, pulling out a silver handled ornate knife. The flickering light of the candle on the table reflected against the surface of the blade.

"Be careful with that," he whispered aloud. "It's sharp."

"It's meant to be, isn't it? Otherwise it couldn't cut through six layers of ribbon. She carefully moved the blade between their wrists and he covered her hand with his.

"Ready?

She gave a small nod and they both closed their eyes, taking a brief moment and inhaling.

_We are one._ With one quick, slight motion of their hands, the blade sliced through the layers of ribbon, breaking them free of the fabric that had tethered them together for several hours.

She let out another audible sigh. But he detected a note of sadness more than relief.

He opened his eyes and saw her, still laying flat on her back and now staring at the cut ribbon. "What's wrong?"

"I'll sort of miss it. Miss what it represents."

"It represents what is now complete between us, Telana," he whispered, and her eyes were drawn to his at his use of her personal name.

"I just mean—I don't know, it's silly—," she said before rolling away from him, taking the ribbon with her in her hand. The duvet fell away from her shoulder, and he saw the simple cream-colored tank top she'd been wearing under the button-up top she'd been wearing in 1929. Being tied to your mate made things a little more complicated when it came to disrobing. He wondered for a brief nanosecond how ancient, much less the more modern Galifreyans had handled that. But his mind quickly went back to his concerned wife.

"If it bothers you it isn't silly," he said, rolling to his side and scooting up behind her. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Would it make you feel better if I held your hand and didn't let go for a few more hours?"

She sighed. "You don't need to do that. Besides." She started to squirm. I can finally go to the bathroom, and get out of the last of these blasted 1929 clothes. She sat up, holding the cut ribbons carefully in her cupped hands and laying them reverently on the bedside table. "We'll have to decide what to do with them. I don't want to just discard them. They mean too much." Then, she was up and off to the bathroom before he could ask any more questions.

When she came back out, the Doctor was standing there, in boxers, arms crossed over his chest. "My turn. Don't go far. I'll be right back."

When he came back out, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the ribbons. She'd changed clothes and was wearing leggings and a loose tunic. He could tell she felt so much more comfortable back in her own clothes, but she was still concerned about those ribbons. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his own, interlacing their fingers. "Archie, please talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking."

"When I last lost those ribbons, I lost you—for over a year. I guess that connection is just still so fresh."

"Oh, Arch," he whispered, his heart breaking for her. He pulled her towards him and holding her close. "You put up such a brave, strong front, I didn't realize it had affected you so deeply."

"It felt like I'd only just found you again. I mean, compared to the hundreds of years apart, the time we've had together since we met when I was Christine, it's been short. And it was the most bizarre thing, seeing the City a half century prior to when I had lived there. It still reminded me of Greg and the kids, even in 1929 I could find places we had been. Then I was missing them _and_ you. It got so overwhelming sometimes."

As she confessed the feelings she had experienced over the past year, he held her, stroking her back and placing light kisses on her hairline.

After a few moments of quiet, he finally spoke again. "I know we'd planned a few adventures for our honeymoon, but how about we just stay in the Vortex and spend some time together on the TARDISes? We could watch movies, take a swim in the pool, explore the Gallifrey Library, we've got all the rooms on two TARDISes to explore, plenty to do for as long as we need."

"Thank you, Theta. For being so understanding. I don't want to slow you down though, we can still go on those adventures—"

"Slow me down?"

"I just mean, I know you like to keep moving, keep exploring and adventuring…"

"It's not an either-or thing, Arch. It's a now and later. Now, we take it easy and spend time together. Later, we explore and adventure. Besides, I think it could be quite the adventure exploring the TARDISes. It's been ages since I had a good walk through to see what the Old Girl has been up to lately. She loves expanding and coming up with rooms. And we've been so busy, I know you haven't gotten to spend nearly as much time with Libby as you'd like since you opened that fob watch and became a Time Lord again."

He could see she was withholding the excitement she clearly felt at the idea. She held his hands even tighter and a small smile came across her face as she bounced up off the bed, pulling him up with her. "I haven't had a chance to show you the garden, yet."

"Garden?"

"Libby's garden."

"That sounds brilliant. Why don't you head on over to Libby. I need to land the TARDIS for one quick stop then we'll head back into the Vortex, okay?"

She frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is brilliant, _wife of mine_," he said with a grin. "Just a quick stop, I promise."

"Okay," she said cautiously, then smiled.

"No peeking, okay? And no checking Libby's location readings. This is a little surprise I've come up with."

"A surprise?"

"Mm-hmm, okay?"

She couldn't help but return his infectious smile. "Okay. I'll see you in Libby's control room…_husband of mine_."


	30. Chapter 30: Gifts

"Donna, I need your help."

"My help? Doctor, what's wrong? Is everything okay with the Archivist? We just left you a few hours ago?"

"What? Oh yes, everything is fine! More than fine. But I have something I need done, and I think you're just the one to help me."

"Well, alright. What is it?"

"I need to show you and bring you something. Are you at your apartment or your Mum and Gramps?"

"We're having dinner with Mum and Gramps."

"Alright, I'll land now, I'll only have a few minutes before Arch will come looking for me, so be ready."

"Okay, I'll be outside waiting."

* * *

Donna was walking up to the TARDIS when the Doctor opened the door and stepped out, glancing inside before shutting the door behind him.

"What are you being so secretive about, Doctor? This doesn't bode well for your marriage if you've been together for a few hours and you're already keeping secrets."

"It's a good secret, I promise, Donna." He reached into his pocket and when he placed into Donna's hand what he pulled out, she gasped.

"Doctor, those are the ribbons from your wrists!"

"Yes, we've no need of them now, at least not for that. But Arch is quite fond of them, and rightfully so, they have a very special meaning, obviously. So, I was thinking, maybe there was a way we could retain the thought, without having to be literally tied to each other."

He went on to describe what he was thinking in detail. Donna smiled and accepted.

"I'll do my best, Doctor."

"You'll do brilliantly, I'm sure, Donna. How much time do you need?"

"A week?"

"Alright, I'll come back in a week."

"You're just going to skip forward, aren't you?" She gave him a mock glare.

"Yup!" He popped the 'p' and grinned. "I can't wait to give it to her."

* * *

The Archivist felt the ships take off and land twice and became more and more curious as to what the Doctor was up to. She, however, did her best to not pay attention to the motion of the ship, instead sitting back in her comfy high back chair in the seating area of Libby's control room. Her eyes were closed and she was listening to the hum of her ship as it sang in her mind, almost lulling her to sleep when she felt the Doctor press his lips to her forehead. _Hello, love. You and Libby enjoying yourselves?_

_Mmm….mm-hmm. _She smiled.

_I have something for you_.

She felt him move around and opened her eyes to find him on his knees in front of her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was both nervous and excited. She leaned forward in the seat. "What is it, Doctor?"

"Close your eyes," he said, his voice hushed.

She looked at him one more moment before obeying and shutting her eyes. He took one of her hands in his and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles before she felt him pull something over her hand, onto her wrist.

"Open them," he directed in a gentle tone.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw on her wrist two very familiar colors. A small gasp escaped her mouth.

"I hope it's okay. I took the ribbons and had Donna create bracelets from them." He pulled up the cuff of his jacket and there on his wrist was a matching one. The two ribbons that had been around their wrists were now intricately weaved together to form almost a rope. Woven into the center of hers was a small ametyst. In the center of his was a sapphire. Blue and purple."

"I explained to Donna that purple and blue were far more than just our favorite colors, they were significant to our families and to the aura our time lines each present. She thought it would be a nice touch for each of them to be unique and have a gemstone of the appropriate color, while both being woven of the two colors of ribbon."

"It's…it's beautiful, Doctor. Donna made them?"

"She did. A hidden talent she once mentioned to me on Shen Shen." He chuckled. "She was criticizing one of the jewelry makers for poor craftmanship of their work and said she could do better, and proceeded to explain it had been a hobby of hers once." He paused and moved to sit on the armrest of her chair, taking her hand in his and weaving their fingers together, the two bracelets touching. "I thought, maybe, this would be a way to honor the tradition of the marriage bond ribbon and create our own tradition as well."

"I love them," she ran her fingertips over her bracelet, then allowed them to trace over to his. "It's a fantastic gift, Doctor. Thank you so much."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead again. "You're welcome." He then stood up and turned to her, still holding her hand. "So how about the Garden?"

"Actually, Doctor…since we're giving gifts. I have something for you, too."

"Oh?"

"Yes, just one moment. I need to get it from the Old Girl."

She walked back across Libby's control room to the door that connected the two TARDISes. A moment later she came back in with the locked wooden box she had brought back with her from 1929. Set set it on the console and the Doctor stepped over as she pulled the key out of a pocket in her tunic and opened it. Setting on the top was a book. She pulled it out and handed it to him. "For you, Doctor. The first ever printed copy of _The Healer and the Librarian_."

His mouth hung open in awe for a moment before he spoke, "Your book, the book you wrote in 1929…so I would find you."

"You should read it."

"Oh, I will. I definitely will." He pulled her into a hug, then slid the book into the inside pocket of his jacket.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Should have known you'd have your jacket with dimensionally transcendental pockets."

"But of course! So—now, the Garden?"

She grinned. "Yes, now the Garden."


End file.
